Year after year Florida shines among all regional Thoroughbred breeders as they annually lead among producers of graded stakes winners, open stakes winners and winners. In 2024, Florida breeders produced 64 open stakes winners, outdistancing Maryland with 29, New York with 23, Pennsylvania with 22 and California with 20. Florida-breds also lead regional breeders with 13 graded stakes wins, more than Pennsylvannia with eight, New York (seven), Maryland (five) and California (four).

Florida breeders lead all other regions with six Kentucky Derby winners including Needles (1956), Carry Back (1961), Foolish Pleasure (1975), Affirmed (1978), Unbridled (1990) and Silver Charm (1997) as well as producing the most Kentucky Derby starters (221 through 2025) of any Country, State or Province outside Kentucky.

Florida-breds have 396 Breeders’ Cup starts with 28 Breeders’ Cup winners with 29 Breeders’ Cup wins and a total of $46,733,539 in Breeders’ Cup earnings through 2024.

Fifty-two Florida-breds have been been honored with 71 National Championships including seven Horse of the Year titles among them are Roman Brother (1965), Dr. Fager (1968), Affirmed (1978, 1979), Conquistador Cielo (1982), Holy Bull (1994) and Skip Away (1998).

Here we recognize the leading Florida breeders of 2024, by number of foals.

Bruno Schickedanz – 31

For the second time in three years, Bruno Schickedanz is the leading producer of Florida-bred foals in 2024 with 31. He also led all Florida breeders in foal production in 2022 with 36 and ranked in the top three when represented by 21 Florida-bred foals in 2023.

Last year, Schickedanz also led all North American owners by victories for the second consecutive year with 160 winners from 1,143 starters with earnings of $3,969,039 in 2024. In 2023 his colors were donned by 178 winners from 1,185 starters with earnings of $3,982,212.

According to Equibase, as of June 5, 2025, Schickedanz is in top six among North American owners this year with 40 wins from 428 starts with earnings of $1,443,452.

On May 31, Schickedanz had a banner day at Woodbine, winning the Grade 2 bet365 Eclipse with Florida-bred Classic Mo Town and the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier with Florida-bred Old Chestnut. Both horses were trained by Martin Drexler and were ridden by Eswan Flores.

His leading money earner in 2024 was Maximus Magic, who had revenues of $168,305 from two wins in seven starts including two fourth-place finishes in the Bathhouse Stakes at Oaklawn Park and in the King Corrie Stakes at Woodbine.

A Canadian businessman with interests as a land developer and homebuilder, Schickedanz was honored with a Sovereign Award in 2022 at the Outstanding Owner in Canada. He is the owner of the 230-acre Champagne Farm in Wildwood, Fla.

Stonehedge LLC – 27

Named the Florida Breeder of the Year in both 2023 and 2024, Marilyn’s Campbell’s Stonehedge LLC was the second leading producer of Florida-bred foals for the third consecutive year with 27. Stonehedge produced 25 Florida-bred foals in 2023 and 25 foals in 2022. Stonehedge was the leading producer of foals in 2021 and 2020 with 37 and 39 respectively.

Stonehedge led all Florida breeders by earnings in 2024 with $2,929,004 from 93 wins, 67 second and 67 thirds from 601 starts. Stonehedge bred four stakes winners in 2024 including Dean Delivers, an earner of $325,850. The gelded son of Cajun Breeze, who stands at Campbell’s Stonehedge Farm South in Williston, rattled off four straight stakes wins in 2024 while taking the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park, the Alapocas Run at Delaware Park, the Frank J. De Francis Dash at Laurel Park and the Rumsun back at Monmouth. Her Fiona’s Magic won the Grade 2 Davona Dale presented by FanDuel TV and Sunny Breeze took the Concern at Laurel Park. Stonehedge is also the breeder of Sunshine Classic-winner Lure Him In.

Founded in 1998 with her late husband Gilbert G. Campbell, who was the Florida Breeder of the Year in 1997, 2013 and 2016, Stonehedge is a perennial leading Florida breeder and owner. In addition to standing Cajun Breeze, Campbell is also involved in the ownership group behind Khozan, Florida’s leading sire from 2020-’24. Stonehedge has bred seven FTBOA champions and the winners of 17 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes races. She is also a member of the FTBOA board of directors.

Live Oak Stud – 25

Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud was third leading producer of Florida-bred foals in 2024 with 25. In 2024, her Live Oak Plantation was also recognized as the leading owner by Florida-bred earnings with $1,683,452 from 31 wins, 25 seconds and 18 thirds from 147 starters. It was the sixth time Live Oak Plantation has earned Florida’s top owner of Florida-breds award having also garnered the title in 2011, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

She was also the second leading Florida breeder by earnings with $2,686,484 with 62 wins, 64 seconds and 47 thirds in 366 starts.

Live Oak was represented by three stakes winners in 2024 including Comedy Town, winner of the Benny the Bull and Smile at Gulfstream Park; Crystal Quest, who took the Equistaff Sophomore Turf at Tampa Bay Downs; and Forever Souper, named the Florida-bred Champion Turf Male in 2024 after winning the Avery Whisman Memorial and Presque Isle Mile at Presque Isle Downs, the Esmark Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs, the Sunshine Classic at Gulfstream Park and the Prince George’s County at Laurel Park.

In 1968, Ms. Weber purchased P.A.B. Widener III’s farm and renamed it Live Oak Plantation. Live Oak Stud has been named the Florida Breeder of the Year five times in 2006, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021 and has bred the Florida-bred Horse of Year three times with Sultry Song (1992), Miesque’s Approval (2006) and World Approval (2017). Miesque’s Approval and World Approval were also named Eclipse Award Champion Turf Males in 2006 and 2017 respectively. Live Oak has bred 22 Florida-bred champions, including the Broodmare of the Year five times with Sulty Sun (1991, 1992) and Win Approval (2006, 2016, 2017). Win Approval was also the TOBA National Broodmare of the Year in 2017.

Ocala Stud – 23

Ocala Stud was the fourth leading producer of Florida-bred foals in 2024 with 23. They were also seventh on the list of leading Florida breeders by earnings with $1,187,013 from 37 wins, 37 seconds and 32 thirds from 218 starts.

Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell, David O’Farrell, et al bred two stakes winners in 2024 including the year’s Florida-bred Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Nooni, winner of the Grade 3 Sorrento at Del Mar and a starter in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), also at Del Mar. A daughter of Ocala Stud’s leading freshman and juvenile sire of 2024, Win Win Win, Nooni first gained notoriety at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale for 2-year-olds in training where she worked a record quarter mile in :20.20. She then topped the auction with a $1.8 million price tag, going to bloodstock agent Donato Lanni for Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stable.

The same team also bred Hades, a son of Ocala Stud’s Awesome Slew and the winner of the 2024 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Founded in 1956, Ocala Stud is a proven source of top sires as the home to Florida’s foundation sire Rough’n Tumble in the 1950s and 1960s. They have been home to the leading sire in Florida 11 times, including Khozan in 2024; Florida’s leading freshman sire seven times and the state’s leading juvenile sire eight times. Ocala Stud has a place in Thoroughbred history as the birthplace of the modern day juvenile in training sale.