BY AVALYN HUNTER
Breeding a foal that can win early is important, both for recouping the expenses of breeding and maintenance and for getting winners on a mare’s resume. For the last seven years, Stonehedge Farm South’s stallion Cajun Breeze has been quietly helping breeders meet those goals. As of Dec. 18, he has 78 winners from seven modestly-sized crops, and 37 of those winners (47%) scored their first wins as juveniles.
Cajun Breeze’s ties to Florida are deep. Bred by Florida breeders Curtis Mikkelsen and Patricia Horth, Cajun Breeze is from the first crop of Congrats (by A.P. Indy), then standing at Cloverleaf Farms II near Reddick. The American champion freshman sire of 2010, Congrats went on to an honorable stud career at Kentucky’s Claiborne Farm.
On the distaff side, Cajun Breeze was produced from the Awesome Again mare Cajun Dawn, who is from a Florida family developed by Fred Hooper that includes 1999 Acorn (Grade 1)-winner Three Ring and multiple track record setter Roman Envoy. Cajun Dawn is out of the winning Copelan mare Pat’s Reward and is a half-sister to stakes winners Diplomat’s Reward (by Roman Diplomat) and Dispersed Reward (by Dispersal).
Aside from Cajun Breeze, Cajun Dawn’s nine winners include 2016 Sunshine Millions Distaff-winner Mom’z Laugh (by Leroidesanimaux) and Grade 3-placed multiple stakes-winner Cajun Delta Dawn (by Kantharos), as well as grade 2-placed Peace at Dawn (by Peace Rules). Cajun Dawn is also the dam of Dangerous Dawn (by Forest Danger), second dam of juvenile stakes winner Cattin (by Neolithic).
Cajun Breeze raced for Michael Yates and Robert Eversole. A winner at ages 3, 4, 5 and 6, he placed in stakes races at 4, 5 and 6 and ended up winning or placing in 14 of his 33 starts. The horse entered stud at Yates’s Shadybrook Farm in 2015 and got FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager-winner Cajun Firecracker (bred by Yates) from his first small crop. In 2018, Gil and Marilyn Campbell purchased a half interest in him and moved him to their Stonehedge Farm, where he has stood since.
As of Dec. 18, Cajun Breeze has 31 winners of 2024 headed by Dean Delivers, who racked up four 2024 stakes wins. The stallion has also been represented this year by Sunny Breeze, who won the $99,000 Concern at Laurel and ran second to fellow Florida-bred Bentornato in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing, and the stakes-placed juvenile Mila’s Wish. Cajun Breeze is currently ninth on the 2024 Florida sire list.
“Cajun Breeze has been really good to us,” Stonehedge manager Larry King said. “We’ll be breeding about twenty of the farm’s mares to him this year and Bo Yates will send some too. He puts that great shoulder and those big round hindquarters onto his foals, and they have good dispositions. They’re smart, they’re easy to handle and train and they get out there and win. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Cajun Breeze will stand the 2025 season for $5,000 stands and nurses.
