Thanks to the lucrative PA-Bred Breeders’ program, Pennsylvania thoroughbred owners, breeders, stallion owners, and racing fans enjoyed an exciting 2022 racing season. In 2022, Pennsylvania’s three thoroughbred tracks held 29 PA-bred stakes totaling over $4 million in purses and awards, including the inaugural PA-Sired PA-Bred racing series for 2-year-olds. Expanded for 2023, the series consists of 6 stakes races for 2-year-olds run in three legs. The first 2 races will be run at 51/2 furlongs with a purse of $100, 000, one open race for 2-year-olds, and one for 2-year-old fillies, the next duo will be run at 61/2 furlongs for a purse of $150,000, one open race for 2-year-olds, one for 2-year-old fillies, and the third leg run at 1 mile for a purse of $200,000, one open race for 2-year-olds, one for 2-year-old fillies. To be eligible, a horse must be Pennsylvania-bred and sired by a registered Pennsylvania stallion. Just a handful of breeding farms dominate the breeding market in Pennsylvania, and the top stallions stand at four farms, Pin Oak Lane, WynOaks Farm, Blackstone, and Equistar.
Wicked Strong topped the Pennsylvania stallion list in 2022 and placed second in the Mid-Atlantic stallion standings. The multiple graded stakes winner of over $1.9 million won the $1 million Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga. After his racing career ended, he stood at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky until 2020. For the 2021 breeding season, the speedy son of Hard Spun moved to veterinarian Dr. William Solomon’s Pin Oak Lane Farm near York, PA. In 2022, he sired 81 winners, and he stands for a fee of $3,500 live foal. “My business is about 50% thoroughbred, 50% standardbred, though I don’t stand any standardbreds right now,” explained Dr. Solomon. “Wicked Strong is a really nice horse to be around. He has a great disposition, and he’s very fertile. He was a good racehorse, and his first crop since being in Pennsylvania will be 2 years old this year.”
Another Grade 1 winner and Grade 1 sire standing at Pin Oak Lane, Lord Shanakill, by Speightstown won on the turf in England and France at distances of 6 furlongs to 1 mile. He comes from a family of champions, and he sired Grade 1 winner My Dream Boat. He is 15th on the PA sire standings and stands for $2,500 live foal.
Second place on the PA Sire list belongs to the deceased Jump Start, and third went to Weigelia, the sire of Beren, a fan favorite at Parx. Standing at Chip Wheeler’s
WynOaks Farm in Delta, Pa, Weigelia won over $1 million and set 2 track records, one at Belmont for 6 furlongs, and one at Monmouth for 5 furlongs. He had brilliant speed and raced until age 7, retiring sound. He entered stud at age 10, and in 2022, Weigelia sired 2-year-old stakes winner Ninetyprcentmaddie, “Weigelia is able to sire horses that can run at 2 and that continue to race at 3, 4, and older. He has a successful career breeding durable horses that can start early and continue to race for a number of years. He’s the best value in the Mid-Atlantic region,” explained Barbara Wheeler.
Three other stallions stand at WynOaks – Uptowncharleybrown – eighth on the PA sire list and #1 sire of 2-year-old black
type winners, Warrior’s Reward – sixth on the list, and Command Post – owned by WynOaks. Uptowncharleybrown is the sire of many winners including Grade 3 winner Dixie Serenade, stakes winner Wait For It, and 2-year-old stakes-placed Keithsendshellooo. He stands for a price of $3,250.
Warrior’s Reward is a Grade 1 winning sprinter by Medaglia d’Oro and the sire of Warrior’s Revenge, a 2023 winner at Aqueduct. The stallion Command Post entered stud in 2020.
In fourth place on the PA sire list and eleventh on the MidAtlantic list, Brody’s Cause by Giant’s Causeway is new to the state. He relocated from Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky to Equistar farm in Annville, Pa where he will stand for $3,500.
Twelfth on the PA sire list, superstar Smarty Jones, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and 2004 Eclipse
Photo Credit to Kim Pratt
The award winner, also stands at Equistar for a $3,500 stud fee. He is the sire of 36 stakes winners including 14 graded stakes winners.
Blackstone Farm is the home of Peace and Justice, number 7 on the PA sire list and 18th on the Mid-Atlantic list. He is by War Front and stands for $5,000.
According to 2022 Jockey Club statistics, Pennsylvania ranks tenth in the country by the number of mares bred. Kentucky is first, followed by California, Florida, and New York. The national foal crop declined in 2022, and the number of mares and stallions declined in Pennsylvania. Only 398 mares were bred last year compared to 524 the previous year – a decline of 24%, and the number of stallions fell from 29 to 25, down 13.8%. For Pennsylvania breeders, the state offers generous monetary incentives and awards and the breeding farms stand a selection of affordable quality stallions to encourage breeding and racing in the state. It’s a great time to breed a PA-bred.
