Stonewall Farm Stallions in Versailles, Ky., moved its stallions Leroidesanimaux and A. P. Warrior to Stonewall Farm Ocala this week and likely will sell the Kentucky farm where the sires had been standing. The move came three weeks after the operation transferred stallions Strong Contender and Value Plus to Ocala from Kentucky.
In May, Fifth Third Bank sued Stonewall and related entities, accusing the operation of defaulting on $14.8 million in loans. To repay the loans, Stonewall has begun selling some of its horses, including many of its broodmares. Stonewall Farm Ocala hasn’t set its stud fees for the 2011 breeding season.
“We’ve said we were planning to expand our stallion roster, but we had no idea that we’d have the opportunity to have our Kentucky stallions in Florida, and we’re so pleased and excited to have them here,” said Stonewall Farm Ocala’s Michelle Hemingway. “On the heels of all the litigation, we want to reiterate that Stonewall Farm Kentucky and Stonewall Farm Ocala are completely separate entities. By bringing our stallions from Kentucky to Florida, we hope to become one of the premier stallion operations in Ocala.”
Leroidesanimaux, a son of Candy Stripes, stood for a $15,000 stud fee this year. He won nine of his 13 starts for $1.66 million, including Grade 1 wins on turf in the 2004 Citation Handicap and the 2005 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap. He won an Eclipse Award in 2005 as the nation’s top male turf horse.
Leroidesanimaux’s top runner with $102,800 in earnings is Leroy’s Dynameaux, who captured the Will Rogers Stakes (G3) last month. Through Tuesday, he ranked 24th in the nation among second-crop sires with $500,533 in progeny earnings this year.
A. P. Warrior, a son of A. P. Indy, stood for a $10,000 stud fee this year. He won four of his 13 starts for $548,595, including Grade 2 scores as a 3-year-old in 2006 in the San Felipe Stakes and the La Jolla Handicap. His first crop of horses is 2 years old.
Hemingway said it hasn’t been determined where Stonewall’s two other Kentucky stallions, Doneraile Court and Unforgettable Max, will stand in 2011. The Ocala farm also stands British Blue, Da Stoops, Frisco Star, It’s No Joke and Spellbinder.
“We have faith in the Florida market, and we believe relocating our stallion operation to Florida will be beneficial,” Hemingway said.
Hemingway said breeders who are interested in viewing Stonewall’s stallions can call her at (352) 484-5401.
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- Photo courtesy of Stonewall Farm
