Breeders have three exciting opportunities to access top talent at War Horse Place. The farm has secured the opportunity to stand 2021 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Rombauer , graded stakes winner Sacred Life , and grade 1-winning millionaire Smooth Like Strait .
"We are excited to offer Central Kentucky breeders access to stallions who performed consistently at the highest levels of the sport," Dana Aschinger, owner and director of farm operations at War Horse Place, commented.
By leading sire Twirling Candy from a deep female family, classic-winning Rombauer was impressive at both 2 and 3. A grade 1-placed juvenile, he opened his sophomore season winning the listed El Camino Real Derby before heading east to take the Preakness Stakes and place third in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Blue Grass Stakes (G2).
Rombauer got a break after the Belmont. A fall campaign was scrapped when trainer Michael McCarthy felt the colt wasn't back to his old self. Rombauer was initially retired at the end of 2022. When owners John and Diane Fradkin could not ink a stallion deal to their liking, though, they brought him out of retirement for a 5-year-old campaign with new trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Under Joseph's care Rombauer had five published works from July to September at Gulfstream Park but never made it back to the races.
Rombauer will stand for $6,000 LFSN.
An undefeated graded stakes winner in France at 2, Sacred Life headed stateside to the barn of Chad Brown during his 4-year-old campaign and remained consistently competitive at the highest levels, winning his final graded stakes as a 7-year-old. Retiring with 27 career starts, in which he was on the board in 19, including three graded stakes wins, he is the only son of leading sire Siyouni standing in the United States. Sacred Life will stand for $2,000 LFSN with concessions to black-type mares.
The 6-year-old son of champion sprinter Midnight Lute, Smooth Like Strait retires with a 7-9-3 record from 26 career starts that included five graded stakes wins and an additional 10 graded-placed finishes. He won from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, with his best performance a 1 1/2-length win in the 2021 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. His career earnings total $1,813,863. Smooth Like Strait will stand for $3,500 LFSN.
Open house to view stallions will be Nov. 11-12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET at 4425 Kearney Road in Lexington.
For further information or to set up appointments outside of open house hours, please contact War Horse Place at (859) 519-5175.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
