"I liked him the minute he got off the van," recalled Karl Koontz.
Koontz, longtime in-house bloodstock consultant to Mike O'Farrell's Ocala Stud, was talking about Montbrook. It was 1995 and Montbrook was going to stand at Ocala Stud, where he was foaled.
The breeding season is off to a promising start at Maryland's largest commercial stud farm, Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City.
"I've been amazed - bookings are way ahead of last year," said Northview's managing partner Richard Golden, who said he was "really pessimistic coming into 2003."
Prospects for slot machines at Maryland tracks and the recent change in track ownership at Laurel and Pimlico have led to renewed optimism. "The future looks brighter," Golden said, "and we hope it keeps getting brighter."
The lure of stallions to the Mid-Atlantic region remains strong with more than 30 new stallions joining the ranks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia for 2003. A number of the region's new recruits began their careers in other states and bring solid credentials to the regional market.
Pennsylvania
Two of Pennsylvania's major stud farms, Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom and Reigle Heir Farms in Grantville, have boosted their rosters for the 2003 breeding season.
Over the years, Maryland breeders have been able to find diamonds in the rough among young stallions, and local support has helped to create more than a few leading sires.
Back in the 1930's, it was Challenger II, who was imported by William Brann and Robert Castle to stand at Glade Valley Farms near Frederick. Challenger II became the nation's leading sire with such champions as Challedon and Gallorette. In recent years, Country Life Farm's Allen's Prospect has been the nation's perennial leading sire of winners, holding that distinction for the past five years.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Despite freezing temperatures and more than an inch of ice that felled trees and resulted in severe damage to power and telephone lines and miles of board fencing, the stallions at Fred Seitz's Brookdale Farm kept the farm warm with their 3-year-old colts' results this weekend.
Badge of Silver impressively won the Risen Star at Fair Grounds to give his sire, Silver Deputy, a contender in the run-up to the spring classics, and Lion Tamer, who won the Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream, became the first stakes winner for multiple Grade 1 winner Will's Way.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The severe ice storm that hit central Kentucky last Saturday has made life difficult for Thoroughbred farms in the midst of breeding and foaling season.
The storm coated the Bluegrass with an inch of ice and brought down trees and power lines. Many horse farms remained without light, heat, and hot water on Thursday afternoon - nearly a week after the storm - as repair crews and tree services carefully worked their way through Fayette and surrounding counties.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A colt by Tale of the Cat and a filly by Hennessy each breezed an eighth-mile in 10.00 seconds to top the work tab at the Fasig-Tipton Calder juvenile sale's under-tack show on Feb. 16.
The Tale of the Cat colt, Hip No. 142, is out of stakes winner Satin Sunrise, making him a half-brother to Grade 3 winner French Satin; Robert Scanlon, agent, consigns the colt. The Hennessy filly, a daughter of the Miswaki mare Time to Blossom, is the property of Don R. Graham and Ocala Oaks and sells as Hip No. 197.
ARCADIA, Calif. - John Barr, the former president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, has taken a philosophical approach regarding the retirement of his filly Bob's Lady, a two-time stakes winner in the last six months.
Bob's Lady was expected to be a potential stakes winner this year at the major tracks in Southern California, but was injured in her last race and has been sent to Barr's farm in Temecula, Calif., where she will be bred this spring.
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association has published its annual statistical compendium, and the numbers show that 2002 was a very good year for Sunshine State breeders and owners.
Harry Mangurian/Mockingbird Farm was the nation's leading breeder. The 525 Mangurian/Mockingbird homebreds made 4,782 starts and won 737 races last year. They also racked up 603 seconds and 645 thirds for overall earnings of $16,694,793. Mangurian/Mockingbird Farm bred 12 stakes winners, including Swept Overboard, winner of the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile.
A 2-year-old whose dam is a half-sister to New York-bred champion and multiple stakes winner Biogio's Rose was the top-priced New York-bred and the highest-priced filly sold at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's select auction at Calder Race Course on Feb. 4.
Hip No. 173, a filly by Polish Numbers out of Biogio's Girl, was bought for $450,000 by Eugene Melnyk. Melnyk has campaigned dozens of stakes winners in this country and Canada.
The New York-bred sales topper was consigned by Wavertree Stables Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), agent.