Pennsylvania welcomes a Kentucky Derby winner, a Canadian champion, a Pennsylvania champion, a millionaire, and several graded stakes winners to its stallion roster for 2025. “I think these nine new stallions give breeders lots of options to choose from so they don’t have to look elsewhere outside the state,” said Brian Sanfratello, executive secretary of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association. “We have stallions by top, high level stallions Munnings, Gun Runner, Tapit, and Good Magic.”

Credit to Kim Pratt
Kentucky Derby winner, Rich Strike settled into his new home at Rich Miller’s Mountain Springs Farm in Palmyra, PA to begin his new career this February. The six year old chestnut won the 2022 Kentucky Derby at 80-1 odds. Bred by Calumet Farm, he is by Keen Ice, out of Gold Strike by Smart Strike. Gold Strike was the Canadian Champion three year old filly in 2005. Claimed for $30,000 at Churchill Downs in 2021, Rich Strike retired with earnings of over $2,500,000. His 2025 stud fee is $6,500.
Two other new stallions at Mountain Springs are Enticed and Alejandro. Enticed, a multiple graded stakes winner of $595,880 by Medaglia d’Oro and out of the Grade 1 winner, It’s Tricky, entered stud in 2020 at Darley’s Jonabell Farm and was a top ten freshman sire. He is the sire of stakes winners Visually and Under the Palms and stands for $5,000 live foal in 2025.
Another newcomer, Alejandro, a winner of over $450,000, is by Curlin, out of Rachel’s Valentina, a Grade 1 winning daughter of Rachel Alexandra. Rachel’s Valentina won the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga and is the only daughter of the sensational Rachel Alexandra. Rachel Alexandra was Horse of the Year and Champion Three Year Old Filly in 2009, and she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. He stands for $1,500 live foal.
Graded stakes winner and millionaire Zozos arrived at Rodney Eckenrode’s Equistar Training and Breeding Center in Annville, PA where he joins Smarty Jones and Brody’s Cause. “Zozos is by Munnings, and he’s a nice big horse with good bone and a good hip. He ran some nice numbers and won the Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes. He should fit well in PA because he was a sprinting type miler, and most of the races in this area are sprints,” Rodney said. A winner of 7 races out of fifteen starts and over $1 million, Zozos stands for a fee of $2,500.

Credit to Kim Pratt
A Pennsylvania champion and a fan favorite in Pennsylvania, Beren retired after five seasons of racing and joins his sire Weigelia at WynOaks Farm in Delta, PA. A graded stakes placed winner of twelve races out of thirty five starts and $944,890, Beren won seven stakes at Belmont Park, Parx, and Penn National. Trained at Parx by “Butch” Reid, Beren was Pennsylvania Champion Three Year Old Male and Male Sprinter of 2021. He is by Weigelia, and he is out of the graded stakes winner and millionaire Silmaril. He stands for a private fee at WynOaks Farm.
Canadian Champion Tyson caught the eye of bloodstock agent Ed Price at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Price’s client, Darryl Myers, owner of Stone Jug Ranch, was interested in buying a stallion for his breeding operation near Dillsburg, PA. Tyson, a striking gray son of Tapit, arrived at Stone Jug Ranch in December. He is a multiple graded stakes winner with four wins in ten starts and earnings of $378,548. He received the Canadian Sovereign Award in 2023 for Champion Older Horse. By top sire, Tapit, Tyson descends from the female family of Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, and his dam, Honouring is a winning full sister to Grade 1 winner Streaming and stakes winner Treasuring. “We felt that Tyson checked all the boxes, and that he would be a great addition to the Pennsylvania Breeders’ Program. I’ll breed my mares to him, and they will be eligible for the generous bonuses the P.H.B.A. offers,” said Stone Jug Ranch owner, Darryl Myers.
Cabin Creek Farm, near Gettysburg, PA, stands three new stallions for 2025, Imposing, Magic Spoon, and Curlin’s Wisdom. Imposing is an unraced horse by top stallion, Gun Runner. He is out of the multiple graded stakes winning mare, Untapable by Tapit. Untapable won the Eclipse Award for American Champion Three Year Old in 2014, and her 2014 victories include four Grade 1 stakes, the Kentucky Oaks, the Mother Goose Stakes, the Cotillion Stakes, and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She won over $3,900,000. Imposing stands for a private fee in 2025.
By Good Magic, Magic Spoon had two starts at two and two wins. He won his first race at Santa Anita and won the Golden State Juvenile Stakes in his second start at Santa Anita. He retired with earnings of $136,350. He is out of a graded stakes placed mare, Canadian Mistress, who won over $188,000. He stands for a private fee.
Curlin’s Wisdom is a stakes placed New York bred that won over $450,000. He is by Curlin out of Whisper Wisdom. He retired in 2024 with five wins out of twenty nine starts and will stand his first season for a private fee.
A great selection of bloodlines by top stallions out of champion female families awaits Pennsylvania breeders. “Our breeders’ program is second to none across the country. We have stallions that were successful on the track and are by great stallions like Munnings, Tapit, Gun Runner, Good Magic, and Curlin. The Pennsylvania sires are priced well for the regional market, and breeding to a PA sire is well worth it. Breeders can save money by not transporting their mares and paying board at farms out of state. Breeders in PA earn money back faster through our breeding program, and they receive a 40% bonus for PA-Sired, PA-Breds in races run in Pennsylvania. PA stallions lead the way in breeders’ awards,” said Sanfratello. “Pennsylvania offers breeders a great opportunity.”