Aaron's Way Moved to West Virginia's Bybee Road Farm

Multiple stakes winner Aaron's Way has been relocated to Bybee Road Farm near Charles Town, W.Va., to fill the shoes of the farm's promising sire Officer Rocket, who died about a week ago due to a massive heart attack, according to farm owner Dennis Bybee.

"Aaron's Way will now pick up 17 mares we had booked to Officer Rocket," Bybee said. "He'll get a good start because it is a nice book of of some really nice mares, including some nice stakes winners."

Bybee said it was tough to lose Officer Rocket, whose runners were showing a lot of promise. The grade 3-winning son of Officer distinguished himself at 2 in the Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Futurity (G3) at Arlington International Racecourse, in which he beat future champion and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense.

Claimed by Bybee in September 2010, the horse finished his career at 8 with a 9-7-7 record out of 47 starts and $465,981 earning earnings. As a stallion, Officer Rocket has sired 14 winners from 21 starters to date and is currently in the top 12 on West Virginia's leading sire list. He has three runners with earnings over $100,000.

"We were very happy to get Aaron's Way," Bybee said. "He was a very fast sprinter, who is West Virginia royalty. He was bred in West Virginia, out of a West Virginia stakes-winning mare, and he won three West Virginia stakes."

Aaron's way is standing his second year at stud, having been initially retired to Harley Farm in Maryland. His 2019 fee is $2,500 to approved mares.

The quick-footed, 11-year-old son of Yes It's True was bred in West Virginia by Wade Sanderson and is out of the multiple stakes-winning Malibu Moon  daughter Malibu Sue, who was also campaigned by Sanderson. Malibu Sue, the producer of three winners from as many starters to date, is out of the family of Longfield Star, who won or was runner-up in seven black-type stakes at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in 2000-02.

Aaron's Way won three stakes at 2 and 3, taking the Henry Mercer Memorial Stakes in his second start and capturing the Coin Collector Handicap and Robert G. Leavitt Stakes during a run of five undefeated starts. He earned a 100 Equibase Speed Rating in the Robert G. Leavitt Stakes. At 5, Aaron's Way was retired with a 6-2-2 record out of 11 starts and $161,165 in earnings.

"He's such a good-looking horse," Bybee said of Aaron's Way. "He is really muscled up and powerful. You wouldn't know that he is isn't still racing."