The successful Pennsylvania sire Winchill leads the stallion roster at Monte Cristo Farm, located in Oxford, PA. By top stallion Tapit, Winchill is out of the graded stakes-placed mare, Exclusive Hold by Phone Trick. Exclusive Hold broke her maiden first out at Belmont Park and was second in the Grade 2 Schuylerville Stakes and third in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga. She is the dam of six winners.
Winchill raced five seasons from age two to six and won or placed in four stakes. He won his debut race at Ellis Park by five lengths, and he retired at six with a record of twenty two starts, six wins, four seconds, and two thirds, and earnings of $288,294. In 2013, at age five, he won the First Responder Stakes and was second in the Roanoke Stakes at Parx. In 2014, he won his final race by 2 3⁄4 lengths at Parx Racetrack. Winchill entered stud in 2015.
Bred in Pennsylvania by Gum Tree Stables, Winchill was owned by Pewter Stable, Robert Levy, and Alexander Karkenny, and he was trained by Kate DeMasi, the first female president of the PTHA at Parx. “There has been an uptick in breeding to regional stallions in the $3,000 – $5,000 stud fee range because of Pennsylvania’s great breeding program and earning potential for PA-breds,” said Greg DeMasi, syndicate manager for Pewter Stable. “Winchill’s offspring have been very successful, and his two-year olds perform above average. He had the champion two-year olds at Parx for the last two years. In 2024, Honorable Win was the two-year old champion female. Winchill is the sire of nearly 9% stakes winners that include his leading earner, You Must Chill,”DeMasi said. Leading
earner You Must Chill won the Alphabet Soup Handicap and amassed earnings of over $600,000. Two-year old champion Honorable Win won the Miss Blue Tye Dye Stakes in her debut race and won the Miss Behaviour Stakes in 2025 by 4 3⁄4 lengths. “Winchill has a limited number of crops, but he had a full book the last several years. He gets horses that win on all surfaces and sprint or run long. He has some promising young horses coming along. He’s at Monte Cristo Farm now in Oxford, and they do a nice job,”DeMasi said. Winchill stands for $3,000 live foal with special consideration to mares foaling in Pennsylvania.
Located in Oxford, PA, near Fair Hill Training Center, Monte Cristo Farm also stands several homebred stallions. Also standing are Bullet Butch, Fast Draw Kid, and McQueen’s Bullitt. A PA bred by Jump Start, Bullet Butch earned $156,296 in twenty-one starts with five wins, two seconds, and four thirds. He won his first out at Parx.
Pennsylvania bred Fast Draw Kid, by Last Gunfighter out of Lipstick Pulpit by Pulpit, won first time out at Presque Isle Downs and stands at the farm along with his full brother, McQueen’s Bullett. McQueen’s Bullett earned $87,175 in eighteen starts with two wins, four seconds, and three thirds. Both horses were bred and owned by Linda Merritt and stand at Monte Cristo Farm, formerly owned by leading Pennsylvania breeders, Charles and Luisita Cuprill.
Cover Photo Credit to Kim Pratt
