English Channel Leads Calumet's 2020 Stallion Roster

Calumet Farm announced the fees for its 2020 stallion roster Dec. 12, led by prominent turf sire English Channel , who will stand for $35,000.

A 17-year-old son of Smart Strike, English Channel is the third-leading North American turf sire and a top-20 sire on BloodHorse.com's general leading sires list. He has been represented by 13 black-type winners this year, including five graded stakes winners. For his career, English Channel has sired 48 Northern Hemisphere black-type winners, 24 graded stakes winners, and six champions.

Rejoining the Calumet roster is Hightail , a stakes-winning son of Mineshaft  who has been represented by two black-type winners this year from nine lifetime starters. His top performers include grade 1 winner Mongolian Groom and four-time stakes winner Dynatail. Hightail will be standing for a private fee.

"As the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, Hightail offers the breeder both precocity and speed. He is also demonstrating that his progeny can carry that speed at a distance and continue to develop with age," said Eddie Kane with Calumet.

Real Solution  also returns to Calumet after two seasons at stud with Blue Star Racing in Louisiana. A multiple grade 1 winner on the turf, the son of Kitten's Joy  has been represented this year by stakes winners Sister Peacock and Catch a Bid.

Ransom the Moon  returns after a successful first year in the breeding shed. As the only grade 1-winning sprinter by Malibu Moon  at stud, Ransom the Moon offers breeders a dirt-speed option on an incredible sire line. He won the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar in 2017-18 and in both races defeated two-time TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and Eclipse Award winner Roy H.

"He is beautiful, and if he replicates himself, we are set. He is about 16.2 (hands) and has a beautiful neck and topline, with a strong hip and hind leg," Kane said. "Looking at his profile, he looks like a classic distance horse, but he has the speed to win at six furlongs." 

Keen Ice , winner of the 2015 Travers Stakes (G1), and Brazilian Triple Crown winner Bal a Bali  will both have their first crop of yearlings in 2020. In their first two seasons, they bred 249 and 199 mares, respectively.

"Our roster features a wide variety of bloodlines possessing soundness, quality conformation, and a propensity to winning classic two-turn races on both dirt and turf," Kane said. "We are focused not only on building long-term relationships with breeders but also sharing in the commercial and racing success of our stallions. We have a variety of offerings to fit the needs of any breeder."