Luring Breeders With Cash Bonuses and Breeding Rights

As the North American mare population wanes, stallion owners are working harder than ever to fill their books. The owners of two stallions entering stud at Pleasant Acres Stallions near Ocala, Fla., are hoping to entice mare owners with incentives that include cash bonuses and lifetime breeding rights.

Owner/breeder George Kerr announced this week his incentive program for his new stallion Long On Value , a grade 1-winning son of Value Plus, who is standing for $2,500.

The breeder of record for Long On Value's first stakes winner (black-type or non-black type) from his foals of 2020 will earn a $10,000 bonus, while the breeders of the stallion's first three maiden winners will be entitled to a $5,000 bonus each.

An ownership group that raced multiple graded stakes winner Bucchero , who enters stud next year at $5,000, has stayed all-in with developing their star runner into a successful stallion. This group is offering lifetime breeding rights to the breeders of record who are represented by a graded stakes winner out of Bucchero's 2020 foals. A grade 1 winner rewards the breeder with three lifetime breeding rights, while a grade 2 winner is worth two lifetime breeding rights, and a grade 3 winner earns one lifetime right.

"It can be expensive to buy into a substantial stallion, or even not a substantial stallion," said Harlan Malter, managing partner of the Bucchero ownership group. "We wanted a way to reward the smaller breeders. If Bucchero follows in his father's footsteps, then they can really been rewarded long-term. We want people to be a part of that. I know we set the bar high, but I was a baseball player and we're not looking for the single or double. We want the home run."

Bucchero is out of the first crop by Kantharos , who started his stud career at Vinery Florida and then relocated to Ocala Stud three seasons later. Kantharos, by Lion Heart, has now sired 20 black-type winners and is co-ranked as the 16th-leading North American sire this year with 11 black-type winners, alongside Giant's Causeway, Ghostzapper , Malibu Moon , and Artie Schiller. The stallion got relocated again in 2017, this time to Lexington, where he stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farms for $20,000.

"It is tough in Florida to get the mares, but these are nice racehorses and exceptional individuals," said Helen Barbazon, who owns and runs Pleasant Acres Stallions with her husband Joe. "With Long On Value, the owner believes in his horse and wants to give him the best possible shot. And Bucchero will be very popular in Florida because Kantharos was popular. He is an attractive horse, maybe even better-looking than his father."

Kerr raced Long On Value with Wachtel Stable beginning in September 2013, after the horse had already won his first three starts. The colt won or placed in eight stakes for the partners, who were later joined by Gary Barber, including wins in the Twilight Derby (G2T) and Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) and thirds in the Maker's 46 Mile Stakes (G1T) and Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T). 

At 6, Long On Value was offered through ELiTE's consignment to the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, where trainer Brad Cox bought him for $100,000. The horse won twice this year racing for Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, and Steve Laymon, and raised his career earnings to $1,136,253. Soon after he was retired from racing Oct. 4, Kerr bought him back as a stallion prospect. 

Barbazon said the farm has fielded several calls from breeders interested in becoming shareholders in Long On Value but at this point Kerr has chosen to remain sole owner.

Bucchero has been a dream-come-true for his owners, who bought the colt for $43,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales' June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age sale. Southern Chase Farm and Karen Dodd bred the colt in Indiana and sold him at OBS.

Racing in the colors of Ironhorse Racing Stable, Bucchero became stakes-placed in his first start at 2. He had his breakout year in 2017 with trainer Tim Glyshaw when he won three stakes, including the Woodford Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select (G2T). The colt finished a good fourth that year in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), when he was slightly more than a length behind the winner, Stormy Liberal. Bucchero came back to win the Woodford Stakes at Keeneland again in 2018 and retired with $947,936 in earnings, making him the highest-earning Indiana-bred.

"This horse is the dream of every small owner," said Malter, who is also the managing partner of Ironhorse Racing's multiple partnerships. "Now we have a stallion. There was no chance anyone was leaving the group. We have a lot of optimism because of what Kantharos has done."

For Pleasant Acres Stallions' roster of 10 stallions, Barbazon said the inquires from breeders have been solid.

"We're right where we were last year," she said. "We have some nice stallions that could be anything. It was the same as it was at this time last year with Poseidon's Warrior , who got Firenze Fire." 

Grade 1 winner Poseidon's Warrior entered stud at Pleasant Acres Stallions in 2014. This year he is a top-20 second-crop sire by progeny earnings and ranks ninth in his sire class by number of black-type wins this year with four. His top runner of 2018 is grade 1-placed, multiple graded stakes winner Firenze Fire, who won the Dwyer Stakes (G3) and Gallant Bob Stakes (G3) and placed in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1). A son of Speightstown , Poseidon's Warrior was relocated for 2019 to Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, where he stands for $6,500.

"Amira's Prince  has some beautiful foals, and I think they'll be exceptional when they start running next year," said Barbazon, referring to Pleasant Acres' grade 1-placed, grade 2-winning son of Teofilo. "Across the board, I think anyone can find something to breed their mares to here."