Leading sires More Than Ready and Congrats head a group of five stallions that have been relocated to WinStar Farm in Versailles. The stallions, which also include Kodiak Kowboy, Pure Prize and Street Hero, represent the remainder of stallions that formerly stood at Vinery Ltd. Last month, former Vinery stallions Pioneerof the Nile and Maimonides were moved to WinStar.
“These are exciting times at WinStar, and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome these terrific stallions to the WinStar family as we get set to open the doors on our new state-of-the-art stallion complex,” said Elliott Walden, President & CEO at WinStar. “We’ve already enjoyed overwhelming response from breeders since adding Maimonides and Pioneerof the Nile, and we’re thankful that the shareholders of these five stallions have shown confidence in WinStar too.”
Vinery CEO Tom Ludt confirmed the transition and gave an endorsement to WinStar. “With the announcement of the selling of the farm earlier this year, we knew this day would come. I am proud of what we accomplished with these stallions, and am excited to see them continue their careers at a place like WinStar,” Ludt said.
More Than Ready comes to WinStar with global success that has seen the striking dark bay stallion develop into a popular leading sire in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. He’s sired 63 stakes winners and 21 Graded stakes winners to date in the Northern Hemisphere, and 49 stakes winners and 25 Graded stakes winners to date in the Southern Hemisphere, primarily in Australia and New Zealand where he’s sired three champions and been a two-time leading juvenile sire. In North America, More Than Ready has sired three Breeders’ Cup winners in the last three years, and was champion juvenile sire in 2010. His fee in 2013 will remain $60,000 stands and nurses.
Congrats has quickly ascended as one of the leading young heirs to A.P. Indy. The grand-looking bay was the 2010 champion freshman sire in North America, and he’s already sired three Grade 1 winners to date from his first three crops to race. Congrats, who will stand in 2013 for $35,000 stands and nurses, has several big crops coming. He bred 129 mares in 2010, 205 mares in 2011 and 131 mares in 2012.
“Vinery has done a terrific job with these stallions, and we will strive to be good stewards of all of their careers,” Walden added. “What a great way to baptize our new stallion facility with proven horses like More Than Ready, Congrats and Pure Prize, as well as promising young stallions like Kodiak Kowboy and Street Hero. They compliment our roster extremely well, and we look forward to our greatest days ahead of us.”
The five stallions will soon take up residence at WinStar’s new stallion complex that is set to open next month prior to the start of the 2013 breeding season. For more information, please contact Gerry Duffy or Chance Timm at 859-873-1717, or visit WinStarFarm.com.
