Messier, winner of the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes this past spring, will stand the 2025 season at Rockridge Stud in Hudson. Coglianese Photo.

Multiple graded stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Messier will take up stud duties in 2025 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson through a deal brokered by Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock.

The 5-year-old son of Empire Maker out of the Smart Strike mare Checkered Past will stand for $5,000 LFSN and a limited number of shares are available.

The Sam-Son Farm homebred was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase by Donato Lanni on behalf of SF Bloodstock, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing for $470,000 – the highest-priced Empire Maker sold that year.

Second in his debut at 2, he broke his maiden in his second start in a maiden special weight, winning by 6 1/2 lengths. Messier’s next start was the Grade 3 Bob Hope, where he bested Forbidden Kingdom by 3 1/2 lengths, followed by a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity

Messier’s best race came in his 3-year-old debut – a resounding victory in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis by 15 lengths to earn a 103 Beyer. He secured his place in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with a second-place finish behind Taiba in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Messier returned to top form with a runner-up finish in this year’s Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct in March, followed up a few weeks later with a win in the Grade 3 Westchester at the Belmont at the Big A meeting.

Messier retired with a record of 4-5-1 in 15 starts and earnings of $593,690.

“Messier was an exceptionally athletic colt with a very high cruising speed,” said SF Racing’s Tom Ryan. “He won graded stakes races at ages 2 and 3 and again at age 5. His performance in the Bob Lewis was outstanding, stopping the clock at 1:42.4 and winning by 15 lengths with a 103 Beyer. He is an exciting addition to the stallion ranks in New York.”

Messier joins Americanrevolution, Chewing Gum, Disco Partner, Mind Control, Slumber and War Dancer for the 2025 season at Rockridge Stud.

For more information, contact Erin Robinson (859) 421-7531.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Tourist, who stood the 2023 and 2024 seasons in New York, will relocate to Turkey for 2025. Coglianese Photo.

Multiple Grade 1 and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tourist has been sold to Fazli Yurdabak of Turkey in a deal brokered by Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock and Murat Sancal.

The 13-year-old son of Tiznow will stand at Izmit Stallion Complex in Turkey in 2025, once he completes quarantine at Sancal Racing at Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

Tourist started his stud career at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, before he relocated to New York to stand at Rockridge Stud in Hudson for the 2023 season.

Tourist is the sire of 190 winners, including nine black-type winners, according to BloodHorse statistics. He’s the sire of Grade 3 winner Wentru, American Derby winner Tango Tango Tango and Grade 3-placed stakes winner Carpenters Call. Tourist is the sire of the earners of nearly $12 million through Monday.

Campaigned by WinStar, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber, Tourist won six of 18 starts and earned $2,170,340 over three seasons. A stakes winner at 3, 4 and 5, Tourist ran in three consecutive editions of the Breeders’ Cup Mile and won the $2 million event in his final start in 2016 at Santa Anita Park.

Tourist also won the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap in 2016 at Saratoga Race Course, More Than Ready Mile Stakes in 2015 at Kentucky Downs and Sir Cat Stakes in 2014 at Saratoga.

Tourist is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Unbridled Melody, the dam of New York-bred stakes winner Mountain Music Man (by Bluegrass Cat) and New York-bred winner Tether to Reality (by Harlan’s Holiday), along with stakes winner Harlan’s Harmony (by Spring At Last) and Grade 3-placed $198,118-earner Michael With Us.

Petulante #1 with Luis Saez riding won the $150,000 Grade III Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ on Saturday June 17, 2023. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

PETULANTE (2019 Arrogate o/o Auntjenn by Uncle Mo), a Graded Stakes winning and Black Type-placed runner has been retired and will enter stud in 2025 under the management of Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions LLC in Saratoga, New York.

Racing for Lugamo Racing Stable LLC, the ultra-consistent PETULANTE broke his maiden at first asking and would never finish off the board. His foray into Graded Stakes company would result in a win at the important stallion making distance of one mile in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth beating the likes of Wood Memorial (G2) winner Bourbonic and millionaire Clark Stakes (G2) winner, Trademark. Lugamo Racing Stable LLC retains interest in the stallion and will insure that the stallion is very well supported during his early years at stud.

The son of leading national sire Arrogate, will stand his initial season for $5,000 LFSN. The brilliant Arrogate had his coming out party in the 2016 Travers Stakes (G1) at nearby Saratoga Racecourse and went on to reel off consecutive wins in three of the world’s richest races, The Breeders’ Cup Classic, The Pegasus World Cup Invitational and then the Dubai World Cup. Arrogate, now deceased, is the sire of classic winners Arcangelo (Belmont Stakes) and Seize the Grey (Preakness Stakes). Petulante is out of Auntjenn, a three-time winner and multiple black type placed mare by Uncle Mo. Petulante is also the half brother to stakes winner, The Donegal Clan.

For more information on Petulante, including special incentives for breeders, life-time breeding right purchases or to book your mare please contact:

Rick Burke email: rick@IrishHillCenturyFarm.com

Moe Scavullo email: info@IHDVstallions.com

Multiple graded stakes winner Bucchero will relocate to Ironhorse Stallions at Questroyal North for 2025. Serita Hult Photo.

Coming off a breakout year that saw his son, Grade 1 winner Book’em Danno, stamp his sire as New York’s leading stallion, Bucchero will stand the 2025 season for Ironhorse Stallions at Questroyal North the former Sez Who Farm in Stillwater.

After five successful seasons in Florida, where he covered 471 mares, Bucchero stood the 2024 season at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs under a one-year agreement.

“We have tremendous respect for the McMahon family and their history in New York and both parties wanted to see how Bucchero would fit with McMahon’s in-house stallions,” said Bucchero’s managing partner, Harlan Malter. “With Bucchero, Central Banker and Solomini, the top three stallions in New York in 2024, it made sense to let the McMahons focus on their homegrown stallions and our group focus exclusively on Bucchero.”

Bucchero will be the first stallion to stand under the Ironhorse Stallions banner, a fitting full-circle moment, as it was the syndicate of Ironhorse Racing Stable who purchased him as a 2-year-old. Ironhorse campaigned Bucchero through his 31-race career and ultimately was the driving force to stand him at stud upon his retirement.

“All of the partners involved in Bucchero have been his biggest supporters from Day 1 and it has been a privilege to be so heavily involved in both his racing and stallion career,” Malter said. “It is the logical next step to see where Bucchero can take us. As I said when he ran at Royal Ascot, ‘every time we have asked him to step up to the next level, he has delivered,’ and now he has done it in the breeding shed.”

Ironhorse Racing Stable and the stallion’s co-owners have actively supported Bucchero in both the auction ring and breeding shed. Ironhorse purchased multiple stakes winner and recent graded-placed Beauty of the Sea and stakes winner Mattingly at the OBS 2-year-ilds in training sales and co-owner Greg Kilka was the breeder of Book’em Danno.

The leading sire by earnings in New York in 2024 ($4,539,822 through Sunday), Bucchero has accomplished this feat without a single New York-bred runner. He is the rare regional sire to see his runners have immediate success in open company and on all surfaces.

Along with Grade 1 winner and millionaire Book’em Danno, the Grade 2-placed Buccherino and Grade 3-placed Beauty of the Sea, some 13 of Bucchero’s black-type horses have come in open stakes, with his most recent stakes performer Bucaro running a close second in the Ontario Display at Woodbine on synthetic after becoming a stakes winner in his prior outing.

Bucchero is currently the leading stallion in America on synthetic with more than $1.2 million of his $4.5 million in 2024 earnings coming across the increasingly relevant surface.

While showing his ability to produce top-level horses on turf and dirt in addition to synthetic, Bucchero has also produced incredibly consistent runners. To date, Bucchero starters (1,259) have run in the top three an astounding 49% of the time, tops among all U.S. stallions with more than 1000 starts.

“With the lucrative breeder awards offered in New York, the combination of Bucchero’s ITM stats, surface versatility and ability to produce open-company horses, we firmly believe that breeders will be richly rewarded by breeding to Bucchero,” Malter said. “We are all-in on New York, both breeding and racing.

“Starting Ironhorse Stallions will give us the ability to not only support New York breeders as a partner in producing the best possible New York-bred and -sired runners, but from a selfish side, we will be big buyers of New York-sired Buccheros and expect Ironhorse Racing Stable to focus the majority of its stable in New York. We have put together a great team and will be hitting the ground running working hand in hand with New York breeders as partners in the success of New York-bred racing.”

Lifelong horseman John Dowd will join Ironhorse Stallions as head of operations and bloodstock to go along with a growing team of experienced professionals in New York and Florida.

Malter addressed the question of why Ironhorse Stallions and why now?

“Our mantra is ‘we want to make racehorses to sell, not sales horses to race.’ We feel that Bucchero is a perfect foundation stallion for this philosophy and we hope New York breeders will join us in this goal. My sports background was as a baseball player and the classic Field of Dreams quote comes to mind in this endeavor: ‘If you build it, he will come.’ With the rich breeders program in New York, the huge commitment to a new Belmont and the amazing energy that Saratoga has rekindled, ‘they have built it, and we have come!’ ”

Bucchero will stand for $10,000 in 2025 with a “New York, New York” discount of $2,500 to any mare who will have a 2025 foal in New York or any prior breeder to Bucchero.

A limited amount of lifetime breeding rights will be available along with co-breeds to specifically approved mares. Information about Ironhorse Stallions and Bucchero can be found at ihstallions.com along with Bucchero’s dedicated and continually updated page at BuccheroStallion.com.

For bookings or inspection, contact Harlan Malter at 27B-UCC-HERO (272-822-4376) or info@ihstallions.com.

Chewing Gum and Umberto Rispoli (outside) outgame Beer Can Man in the Grade 2, $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes January 1, 2022 at Santa Anita Park. The son of Candy Ride will stand his first season in 2025 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson. Benoit Photo

Chewing Gum, winner of the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes in 2022 at Santa Anita Park, will stand his first season in 2025 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson.

The 9-year-old son of Candy Ride out of the stakes-placed Forestry mare Shared Heart will stand privately for a partnership that includes prominent New York owners Wachtel Stable and Pantofel Stable.

Chewing Gum is the only son of successful sire of sires Candy Ride standing in New York. A limited number of shares will be offered to approved breeders and Chewing Gum will be available for inspection in a few weeks.

“We are planning to purchase mares to support Chewing Gum and help him get started,” said Wachtel Stable’s Adam Wachtel. “Chewing Gum is a big, beautiful horse that was able to win sprinting and at middle distances on turf and on dirt against top competition. I think that New York breeders will love him.”

Chewing Cup, a Grade 2 winner who competed in 12 graded stakes events during his career, heads to Rockridge Stud for the 2025 season. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.

Chewing Gum broke his maiden at Kentucky Downs for his breeders Gerard and Alain Wertheimer. Fourth in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes on dirt at Gulfstream Park early the following year, he followed that up with a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Belmont Invitational Turf Stakes later that fall. The following season, he finished second to Casa Creed in the Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes at Belmont Park, running a career high 99 Beyer Speed Figure. In early 2022, he won the Joe Hernandez Stakes over Beer Can Man.

Chewing Gum posted a record of 5-5-9 in 35 starts with earnings of $662,426.

Chewing Gum joins the Rockridge stallion roster for 2025 that also includes Americanrevolution, Disco Partner, Mind Control, Slumber, Tourist and War Dancer.

Six-time leading New York sire Freud stood his final season in 2024. Susie Raisher Photo.

By Evan Hammonds

A lot has changed in the breeding and racing landscape in New York since the turn of the century. One constant, however, has been the long shadow of Freud, a full brother to three-time national leading sire Giant’s Causeway, who has stood at Sequel Stallions since 2002.

His reign among the New York leading sires will continue for a few seasons yet, but the grand old man has covered his last mare. The 26-year-old son of Storm Cat has earned his retirement.

“As the years have gone by, he’s bred fewer and fewer mares, but he still thinks every horse that comes into the breeding shed is for him,” said Sequel Stallions’ Becky Thomas. “He bred a dozen mares (in 2024) and I think all but one is in foal. His fertility is great—he is a consummate professional in the breeding shed—but he’s old.

“He’s been great,” Thomas continued. “I call our farm ‘the farm that Freud built.’ He continues to be that horse. So many stallions are euthanized before his age, but knock wood, he’s in great health.”

Represented as recently as Aug. 25 with Showcase Day stakes winner Dakota Gold (out of Dakota Kid, by Lemon Drop Kid), Freud is the sire of 74 black-type stakes winners, 18 of which stepped out to win at the graded stakes level. He has sired 1,495 foals from 21 crops, and his runners have earned more than $73 million. That’s quite an accomplishment for a “regional sire.”

Freud earned his first title as leading sire in New York by progeny earnings in 2008. Subsequent titles arrived in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Freud, along with Giant’s Causeway, is out of the Rahy mare Mariah’s Storm. Bred by Orpendale (an arm of the Coolmore operation), Freud arrived Feb. 22, 1998, a year behind Giant’s Causeway. Giant’s Causeway, a group 1 winner at 2, became the legendary “Iron Horse” at 3 with a run of five group 1 victories from June 20 to Sept. 9, 2000. After a runner-up effort in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), he shipped to Churchill Downs and battled Tiznow, dropping a neck decision in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). An international success as a sire, and sire of sires, while standing in both Ireland (his first season) and the U.S., he died in April 2018 at the age of 21. At the time of his passing, Giant’s Causeway was the sire of 178 stakes winners (104 graded/group winners). By September 2024, that number swelled to 196 stakes winners.

“Little Brother” Freud, racing for Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor and trainer Aidan O’Brien, was given the same opportunities as Giant’s Causeway but was less effective on the track. He ran in a pair of group 1 races at 2, finishing fifth both times, and at 3 won once and placed third at Royal Ascot in the Cork & Orrery Stakes (G2).

By Coolmore’s standards, Freud wasn’t cut out to stand at Ireland or at Ashford Stud, their Kentucky facility. Thomas was able to negotiate with Coolmore’s Paul Shanahan to stand Freud. “The New York breeding program was ‘something new and interesting for Coolmore to try,” according to Thomas.

Standing for $5,000, Freud got 32 foals in his first crop, 2003, and they proved they could run from the get-go. He had nine juvenile winners and from the first crop, 19 of 27 starters would earn at least one victory, and three would become stakes winners. He had five stakes winners in his second crop that comprised 55 named foals.

“New York was just getting ‘operational’ at that time,” Thomas said. “Freud becoming Freud was great fun. There were not near as many stallions in New York back then and he had his pick of the litter.

“Most of the people at the time did not go to Kentucky. They bred to New York stallions and did everything in New York.”

To read the rest of this feature, click here to access the October digital edition of New York Breeder magazine.

Top New York sire and multiple Grade 2 winner Mission Impazible retired from stud duty and will take up residence at Old Friends in Kentucky. Barbara Livingston Photo.

Multiple Grade 2 winner and leading New York sire Mission Impazible has been pensioned and retired to Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky.

The 17-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song stood his entire career at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, including the 2024 season for a private fee.

Bred by Summer Wind Farm, Mission Impazible was purchased by Twin Creeks Racing Stables for $200,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Mission Impazible won three of 21 starts and earned $1,284,949. He won or placed in nine graded stakes including victories in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in 2010 and Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap in 2011. Mission Impazible finished second in the Grade 1 Donn and Stephen Foster Handicaps.

Retired to Sequel Stallions New York, Mission Impazible quickly emerged onto the breeding scene when his first-crop son, Silver Mission, won Belmont Park’s historic Tremont Stakes by more than 6 lengths in a time that equaled Hall of Fame member Buckpasser’s clocking.

Mission Impazible’s second crop included his speedy daughter Pure Silver, winner of Saratoga Race Course’s Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes by 9 1/2 lengths under top weight as a 2-year-old. The next two crops also produced North American black-type stakes winners led by hard-hitting Espresso Shot, the earner of $516,625 who won stakes at 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Mission Impazible was the leading Northeastern first-, second-, third-, fourth-, fifth and sixth-crop sire from 2016 to 2021, respectively. He sired the earners of almost $15 million to date.

“Mission Impazible made his mark as both an accomplished racehorse and well-respected sire,” Sequel Stallions New York said in a statement. “We wish him the best during his retirement.”

Champion, dual classic winner and former leading New York sire Big Brown arrived at Old Friends for retirement last week. Susie Raisher Photo.

Champion, dual classic winner and pensioned former leading New York sire Big Brown arrived at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, last week for his retirement.

The 19-year-old son of Boundary arrived at the Thoroughbred retirement operation Friday courtesy of Andy Cohen, managing partner of the Big Brown syndicate. Big Brown, who most recently stood at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater, becomes the fifth Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner to retire to Old Friends. He joins Silver Charm, War Emblem, Charismatic and I’ll Have Another.

“We are excited beyond measure to welcome Big Brown as an honored member of the Old Friends family,” said John Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Old Friends. “We are deeply grateful to Andy Cohen and all of Big Brown’s connections for choosing to share this great horse with racing fans everywhere. I know his legions of fans will love having the chance to visit him throughout the year. Big Brown will be an awesome ambassador, not only for Old Friends, but for the sport of Thoroughbred Racing.”

Campaigned by a partnership that included Cohen, IEAH Stables and the late Paul Pompa Jr., Big Brown won seven of eight starts including the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He also won the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational and Grade 1 Florida Derby for trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. He retired in late 2008 with earnings of $3,614,500 and earned the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male.

“It doesn’t seem that long ago when we would visit Big Brown in the middle of the night and just hang out with him,” Cohen said. “He was like a puppy and especially loved it when the young children would come over to pet him. As sweet as he was, when he got on the racetrack he knew it was time to go to work. I remember after his race at Gulfstream Park, Kent Desormeaux said ‘he is the fastest horse I’ve ever ridden and the rest is history.’

“After visiting Old Friends and getting to know John Nicholson and Michael Blowen, I couldn’t be more comfortable knowing Big Brown will get the love and care he deserves at Old Friends where the horse is the boss.”

Big Brown settles in at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky. Photo courtesy of Old Friends.

Big Brown started his stallion career in 2009 at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. He stood there, along with Southern Hemisphere seasons in Australia from 2010 to 2014, until 2015. Cohen’s Sunrise Stables and Gary Tolchin’s Golden Goose Enterprises obtained a majority interest in Big Brown in 2015 and announced he would relocate to New York for the 2015 season.

Big Brown started his New York stud career at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains before relocating to Irish Hill & Dutchess Views for the 2018 season.

Big Brown topped the New York general sire list with more than $2.7 million in progeny earnings in 2020. He finished second on the same list – with more than $3.2 million in progeny earnings – in 2021 and ranked among the top 10 stallions in the Empire State until he was pensioned in 2024.

Big Brown currently ranks seventh on the New York sire list, with progeny earnings of more than $1 million, including $246,900 earned by the late stakes winner The Big Torpedo. Big Brown also sired Grade 1 winner and $1,987,505-earner Dortmund, Grade 2 winners Somelikeithotbrown, Kiss to Remember and Coach Inge and Grade 3 winners Send It In, Nancy, Darwin, Dawnie Perfect and Big Wildcat. He’s the sire of 13 crops, including 19 current 2-year-olds and 18 yearlings, 30 blacktype winners and the earners of more than $37.4 million.

Old Friends will host “Big Brown’s Barn Bash” Friday, October 18. The event will feature fun activities and a chance to meet Big Brown. Additional information will be provided soon.

War Dancer, New York’s leading turf sire, will return to Rockridge Stud in Hudson for the 2025 season. Photo courtesy Sugar Plum Farm.

War Dancer, New York’s leading turf sire since 2022 and atop that list again this year, will return to stand the 2025 season at Rockridge Stud in Hudson.

The 14-year-old son of War Front started his stud career at Rockridge in 2017. He stood there for two seasons before moving to Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions prior to the 2019 season.

“We are thrilled to once again partner with Rockridge in standing War Dancer, who has proven himself as a top turf sire,” said Robin Malatino, managing partner of War Dancer LLC. “With the introduction of Tapeta at Belmont, he can only improve on his already great stallion career.”

War Dancer leads the New York turf sire list by winners (21) and progeny earnings ($1,345,404) through Wednesday. Led by multiple 2024 winner and $204,500-earner Twenty Six Black, War Dancer also ranks fourth overall on New York’s general sire list with progeny earnings of $1,965,464. He’s also the sire of Grade 3 winner and $595,063-earner Dancing Buck and stakes winners Step Dancer, Mz Big Bucks and Warsaichi and Grade 3-placed $315,973-earner Surprise Boss.

“The War Dancer Team supports their stallion at every level and we are looking forward to contributing to War Dancer’s continued success,” said Rockridge’s Lere Visagie.

War Dancer and Rockridge also announced an exciting program that will provide breeders the opportunity to participate in War Dancer’s success. Limited share availability in the newly formed “War Dancer Legacy Club” is now being offered to select breeders. For more information, contact Belinda Thomas (802) 430-9959 or Erin Robinson (859) 421-7531.

War Dancer joins the Rockridge roster that also includes Americanrevolution, Disco Partner, Mind Control, Slumber and Tourist.