We would like to thank all of the Florida Breeders that made our 2010 Stallion Preview such a huge success. We owe you all our apprecation for the record attendance and for your participation in the Toys For Tots drive. Happy Holidays to all.

Tony Baloney prevailed in a stretch duel to win his first career start at Calder Race Course on October 12th. The chestnut gelding was bred in Florida by Harold Cason, trained by Bennie Stutts and is owned by Dominick Auricchio. He is the first foal out of the Precise End mare, Sybelee. The 5 ½ furlong Maiden Special Weight race was run in 1:06.73.

Florida’s Leading Second-Crop Sire Chapel Royal got his third stakes winner of the year when Coronation Day captured the $68,450 Virgo Libra S. on July 16th at Belmont Park.

A 3-year-old gelding from Chapel Royal’s record-breaking first crop, Coronation Day was a half-length the best in the one-mile turf stake, crossing the wire in 1:33.87 over firm going. Trained by George Weaver, he moved his career earnings to $97,790 for owner R and H Stable. Susan Vitro bred Coronation Day in New York from the Rahy mare From Time to Time.

Chapel Royal holds a substantial advantage on the Florida Second-Crop Sires List with more than $1.7 million in progeny earnings to date in 2009, and he is the only sire in his class with multiple stakes winners this year. His top performer is Advice, winner of the Lexington S. (G2) at Keeneland and a favorite in Saturday’s Swaps S. (G2) at Hollywood Park.

Dee’s Rose used a determined finish in the stretch to win the $54,300 Pink Ribbon S. on July 11th at Arlington Park, becoming Straight Man’s latest stakes winner.

Vigorously handled by James Graham, the 4-year-old filly was passed momentarily in the stretch before fighting back resolutely and regaining the advantage at the wire of the five-furlong turf dash. The final margin of victory for Dee’s Rose was a head, and the final time over a firm local course was 56.70 seconds.

Trained by Dale Bennett, Dee’s Rose improved her record to 4-3-3 from 13 career starts with earnings of $140,347 for owner Dyedra Kademoglou. It marked the first stakes win for Dee’s Rose, who earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance.

Bred in Florida by Jean White, the chestnut filly is out of the Way West (Fr) mare Irish Drop.

Advice, a 3-year-old colt from the first crop of record-breaking sire Chapel Royal, stormed from last to first with a strong stretch rally to win the $300,000 Lexington S. (G2) on April 18th at Keeneland, earning a potential next start in the May 2nd Kentucky Derby.

Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Advice broke slow and was last most of the 1 1/16-mile race. On the far turn, the dark bay or brown colt began to move up and moved out to rally turning for home. Gomez got Advice rolling inside the sixteenth pole and they finished with a flurry, rolling past Grade 1 winner Square Eddie to hit the wire on top by a length in 1:43.33 over the local Polytrack.

The win was his first of the year in his second sophomore start, and Advice earned a solid 94 Beyer Speed Figure - and more importantly a berth into the Kentucky Derby in two weeks. Trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm, Advice won for the second time in six starts and moved his career earnings to $261,885.

Out of the Hennessy mare Word o' Wisdom, the Florida-bred colt broke his maiden last summer in his debut at Arlington before returning in his next start to run third in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3). WinStar purchased Advice from Eisaman Equine for $170,000 last
year at OBS as a 2-year-old.

Multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Western Pride sired the first winner from his debut crop, as 2-year-old filly Straight Western went gate-to-wire in a Trial race on April 17th at Turf Paradise.

Straight Western broke well and opened up on the field of nine, taking a five-length advantage into the stretch of the 4 ½-furlong heat. The bay filly hit the wire on top in a final time of 53.07 over a fast track. The Trial was a qualifier for the $50,000 ATBA Spring Sales S. to be run May 3rd at Turf Paradise.

Out of the mare Straight Time, who is by Signature Stallions' Straight Man, Straight Western was bred in Florida by farm owner William Schettine, making her a 100% Signature product. She was also sold as a yearling by Signature Sales. 

Straight Western is currently trained by Derek Couch for owner Matt Keneley.

Western Pride, a three-time Derby-winning 3-year-old and four-time graded stakes winner, stands at Signature Stallions in Ocala, Florida for a fee of $2,500.

Dear Fellow Breeder,

We at Signature Stallions realize the amount of thought, hard work, time, and expense that Florida Breeders invest in the process of getting young horses to the sales ring and to the racetrack. For many of us, these are some of the most difficult economic times many of us have ever had to face. As breeders we will all be taking a long, hard look at where our mares will be bred in 2009. As an effort to alleviate a bit of the financial burden that is placed upon us as Breeders, we have implemented our own economic stimulus program for this season.

Signature Incentives

Not just the usual “Pay from Proceeds” agreement…
Not just our “Multiple Mare Discounts”, two mares @ 10% off, three mares @ 25% off, or 4 mares @ 50% off…
Not just our “Special Consideration” for stakes winners or stakes producers…

Of course we’re doing all that. But we’re also doing much more.

For the 2009 season we are offering breeders a 60/40 Foal Share with a Stud Fee Cap for select mares. What that means is regardless of what your foal sells for; you will never pay more than the stud fee.
And, we will sell approved progeny of our stallions, or mares in foal to our stallions, in our consignments at OBS August or OBS October for expenses only.
That’s right, absolutely NO consignor commissions.
(We sold the $100,000 session topping Western Pride filly at OBS August 2008)

As an added note, our stallion’s books will be limited to 100 mares. So when you do go to the sales, you will not be lost in the herd. (And yes, that includes record setting, leading Freshman sire Chapel Royal).  We encourage you to book early.

Signature Stallions will continue to support our stallions, and our breeders. Please give us a call.

The eyes of Florida horsemen were all fixed on Chapel Royal’s impressive frame in February 2003, when he sold for a whopping $1.2 million at the OBS sale of selected 2-year-olds in training at Calder Race Course. And during his 2-year-old season, he looked like he was worth every penny.

Now, as the son of Ocala Stud Farm stallion Montbrook prepares for his fifth season in the breeding shed, he’s returned to his Florida roots to show local breeders why he was so popular as a sire in Kentucky. William Schettine recently purchased the 7-year-old stallion from Coolmore, which owned him as a racehorse and stood him at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky. Schettine will stand the horse at his Signature Stallions farm in Reddick for a $10,000 stud fee.

“Bill Schettine is very behind breeding in Florida and racing out of Florida, and we feel that there’s no better place on Earth to raise a horse than Florida,” said Bill Bazzell, Signature Stallions’ farm manager. “Most of the horses that started here and really made it moved to Kentucky, and he wanted to go against the grain and bring a horse from Kentucky to here. He spent a lot of money on the horse because breeders in Florida need to have a nice horse like that to breed to.”

During his 2-year-old campaign, Chapel Royal was among the nicest horses in the country. He broke his maiden at first asking at Belmont Park in May 2003, winning by 9 ¼ lengths, then added victories in the Flash Stakes (G3) at Belmont and the Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.

Chapel Royal finished in the money in all six of his starts as a juvenile. He ran second to Silver Wagon in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga and was the runner-up behind Birdstone in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont. He concluded his 2003 season with a third-place finish behind Action This Day in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita.

Chapel Royal failed to place in his two starts as a 3-year-old but finished his career with $495,571 in earnings, making him the sixth-richest horse ever sired by Montbrook. Chapel Royal was bred at Ocala Stud Farm out of the Cutlass mare Cut Class Leanne and sold at Calder to bloodstock agent Demi O’Byrne.

Both of Chapel Royal’s parents were winners at the racetrack. Montbrook won five of his eight starts, including Grade 3 victories in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park and the Riva Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park, and finished his career with $373,728 in earnings. Cut Class Leanne had nine wins from ages 2 to 5 for $108,385 in earnings.

As a stallion, Chapel Royal has been among the busiest horses around, covering 222 mares in 2005, 168 in 2006, 165 in 2007 and 194 this year. His 2-year-olds have sold for as much as $400,000 this year, and through November, 34 horses from that first crop had won at the racetrack, helping him reach the $1 million mark in progeny earnings.

His most notable horse so far has been Advice, who crossed the wire second behind Jose Adan in the $200,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3) at Arlington Park in September. Adan and Advice were disqualified for interference during the stretch run, and Terrain was elevated from third place to the winner’s slot. Advice has earned $37,645 this year. Our Lady Chapel is the richest horse sired by Chapel Royal with $58,980 in earnings.

Though stallion operations obviously want their horses to be popular among breeders, such fame can come at a price. Bazzell said if a sire is bred to too many mares, the market can become flooded with his progeny, and the average sales price for those horses can suffer. To avoid that situation, Bazzell said he plans to breed Chapel Royal to only about 100 mares during the upcoming breeding season.

“We’ll keep his book limited,” Bazzell said. “We’d like to have a select bunch of mares, and that will be better for the breeders who are going to the sales ring – not to have such a huge supply out there. He was a great racehorse and was a precocious, early horse, so he has everything that a pinhooker would look for.”

Bazzell said that when he looks at the horse, it’s easy to see why he was a top-selling juvenile and why he was in such high demand in Kentucky.

“There’s nothing not to like about him,” Bazzell said. “He’s just got a great temperament. He’s a smart horse. His conformation is as close to flawless as you can get, he’s got good bone and good muscle, and he’ll work with any type of mare. He’s perfect. He’s just a great-looking horse, and he puts a beautiful baby on the ground. He really stamps them. Like him, they have a lot of presence and a great look to them.”

Hippie Power passed rivals at the top of the stretch last night at Remington Park to break his maiden by 8 ¾ lengths. He also became the 35^th two-year-old winner for Freshman Sire, Chapel Royal.

The win breaks the record set back in 1998 when End Sweep established the Freshman Sire record with 34 individual winners while standing at Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Florida. Fasliyev tied that mark in 2003 while standing at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, and in 2006, Invincible Spirit equaled the record for a Northern Hemisphere freshman sire.

Hippie Power is out of the Graded Stakes producing, Stage Door Johnny mare, Flowers For M’ Lady; owned by Champion Racing Stable and Poindexter Thoroughbreds LLC, trained by Allen Milligan, and was bred in Kentucky by Julie Rodgers & Jackie Plude.

Thanksgiving Day gave Chapel Royal the 34th winner from his first crop. The win ties the record set back in 1998 when End Sweep set the Freshman Sire record with 34 individual winners while standing at Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Florida. Fasliyev tied that mark in 2003 while standing at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, and in 2006, Invincible Spirit equaled the record for a Northern Hemisphere freshman sire.

The record tying win was chalked up by Trackmen Golf Club Stable’s Faithful One. The dark bay filly out of the Northern Flagship mare, She’s The One, is trained by Bruce Levine and was bred in Kentucky by Bruce Hundley. The win brings her current year earnings $48,202, and Chapel Royal's progeny earnings to $937,662.

Huntingman won at first asking in Rome in the $17,750, 1,700-meter Premio Chiese, by 12 lengths. In his second start on November 8th, in the $46,407 Premio Campobello Stakes in Milan, he covered the 1,800 meters over the grass in 1:58.50 to win by three lengths and to increase his earnings to $31,776. The colt remains undefeated in two starts.

Huntingman, is a 2-year-old son of Straight Man and was bred by Liam Benson, owner of Mayo West Farm in Morriston, Florida.  He was sent to Italy by Liam and was sold privately last spring to Pietro Flori.
 
“It was a very good win,” Liam said. “Three lengths is always good, but I wasn’t surprised. I liked the conformation of the horse and his temperament. He was a good size and was very willing and very smart. I have no doubt that the future holds graded stakes wins for him. He was actually entered in a Grade 2 race there on Oct. 26, but the race didn’t happen because there was a strike by the horsemen. But his new owners are crazy about the horse. They love the horse.”
 
Liam still owns Huntingman’s dam, the Dove Hunt mare, Huntingland. The mare has a yearling colt on the ground by Put It Back, which will likely be sold at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training. Huntingland is currently in foal to Western Pride, and plans are to breed her to Straight Man again next year.

Signature Stallions’ freshman sensation Chapel Royal continues on a record pace of 2-year-old winners from his first crop, as on Nov. 20th he added two more graduates to give the brilliant son of Montbrook 31 juvenile winners – more than any other sire in North America in 2008.

Chapel Royal is also Florida’s leading freshman sire with $878,458 in progeny earnings, as well as Florida’s overall leading juvenile sire in 2008.

Multiple graded stakes winner Texas Glitter died earlier this week from complications due to colic, it was announced Thursday. He was 12.

The son of Glitterman stood for $4,000 at Signature Stallions in Reddick, FL, since retiring from racing in late 2002. A graded stakes winner sprinting on both dirt and turf, Texas Glitter won nine stakes races on both surfaces and earned $826,077. As a 3-year-old, he won the Spectacular Bid S. (G3) at Gulfstream on dirt before moving primarily to the turf as an older horse and carving out a solid career that saw him set four course records around North America. 

Texas Glitter has sired five crops with three to race, which includes 56 winners of more than $1.7 million. He was set to stand the 2009 season for a fee of $2,000. Out of the Apalachee mare Come on Texas, Texas Glitter was bred in Florida by Ronald Whiting.

Chapel Royal winners keep coming from his debut crop to hit the racetrack. The leading freshman sire in North America by winners is up to 24 heading into early November, and Chapel Royal has increased his lead as Florida’s leading freshman sire by more than $100,000 with progeny earnings of $712,726 as of Nov. 4th.

Signature Stallions’ Chapel Royal, Florida’s leading freshman sire, received his 21st winner from his debut crop of 2-year-olds on Oct. 26th when How Far is Heaven rallied to impressively capture her first career start in a $66,000 maiden special weight race at Woodbine.

How Far is Heaven, a $145,000 yearling purchase at the 2007 Keeneland September Sale, stopped the clock in 1:16.63 for 6 ½ furlongs over the local Polytrack. The margin of victory was 1 ¾ lengths in the field of nine 2-year-old fillies.

Bred in Ontario by Yvonne Schwabe, How Far is Heaven earned $31,114 for owner Robert Trussell and trainer Mark Casse, and the win gives her sire Chapel Royal a first-crop high 21 winners.

Signature Stallions’ Chapel Royal, Florida’s leading freshman sire, enjoyed his first-crop-high 20th juvenile winner when Gellhorn impressively broke her maiden on Oct. 17 at Woodbine.

Gellhorn, a 2-year-old filly out of the Doonesbury mare Irish Doon, streaked to an 8 ½-length win going seven furlongs over the local Polytrack. The final time was 1:25.04.

Chapel Royal became the quickest to reach the 20-winners mark of any freshman sire in North America, and his $601,164 in progeny earnings makes him Florida’s leading freshman sire by nearly $100,000.

Signature Stallions’ leading freshman sire Chapel Royal received his freshman sire-high eighteenth winner from his debut crop on Oct. 11th when his 2-year-old filly Low Expectations impressively broke her maiden at first asking at Golden Gate Fields.

Low Expectations professionally rallied from off the pace to post a decisive three-length win, stopping the clock in :58.46 for five furlongs over the local synthetic surface. The victory provided Chapel Royal with winner No. 18 which puts him atop the Freshman Sire List.

Chapel Royal is Florida’s leading freshman sire by nearly $100,000 heading into the second full week of October, with progeny earnings of $563,635.

Chapel Royal, a leading freshman sire of 2008 with 17 winners, has been acquired by William Schettine’s Signature Stallions and will stand the 2009 season at the Ocala-based farm.

The striking dark bay is a Florida original and one of the most distinguished horses to have come out of the storied Florida breeding program this decade. A son of Montbrook out of the Cutlass mare Cut Class Leanne, Chapel Royal was always a standout in the Sunshine State. He was the sales topper at OBS as a juvenile in 2003, selling for a record-breaking $1.2 million, and quickly made a bigger splash on the racetrack as a leading juvenile in North American that year.

Chapel Royal broke his maiden at first asking by 9 ¼ lengths at Belmont in May of his 2-year-old season before running away with the Flash S. (G3) and Sanford S. (G2) by a combined 11 lengths in subsequent starts. A rare juvenile with triple-digit Beyer speed, Chapel Royal was never off the board in six starts at two while racing against the best. He finished second in the Hopeful S. (G1) and Champagne S. (G1) before carrying his speed around two turns to be third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

As a sire, Chapel Royal is enjoying immense early success from his first crop of 2-year-olds to hit the racetrack, already siring a first-crop-high 17 winners. His top runners include: Advice, debut winner by eight and unlucky third-place finisher in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (G3) at Arlington, Vegas Wedding, impressive debut winner of a maiden special weight at Saratoga, and Jacymara, recent allowance winner and two-time winner at Monmouth.

Chapel Royal has also enjoyed commercial success as a sire, with 2-year-olds selling for $400,000, $340,000, $245,000, $170,000, etc. this year and yearlings up to $320,000.

“We are doing something a little bit different,” said Bill Bazzell, general manager of Signature Stallions. “We’re bringing a successful Kentucky sire back to Florida. William (Schettine) wants Florida breeders to know beyond any doubt that he is committed to Thoroughbred breeding in this state. He has made a huge commitment in bringing Chapel Royal here. This is a horse that has deep Florida roots and is off to a fantastic start as a sire of 2-year-olds. He’s got everything a breeder could want: great looks, great speed, and was a brilliant 2-year-old.”

A 7-year-old, Chapel Royal joins a Signature Stallions roster that includes Bachelor Blues, Irish Road, Straight Man, Texas Glitter, Unbridled Time and Western Pride. He will stand for a fee of $10,000.

Signature Stallions’ Western Pride enjoyed the first big headline of his young and promising career at stud, as on Day 2 of the OBS August Sale he saw a beautiful filly from his debut crop of yearlings top the session when the hammer dropped at an impressive $100,000.

Selling as Hip No. 375, the filly out of the stakes-winning Chimes Band mare So Much More entered the ring with a great physical presence that quickly reflected in the bidding. Local buyer Eddie Woods drew the final session-topping bid of $100,000, signing for the filly as agent.

“She’s a lovely filly and has a lot of pedigree. The sire could really run and this is his first year (with yearlings),” Woods said. “She probably should have been in the (Select) sale yesterday, but looked like a queen today.”

Multiple graded stakes winner Get Funky, a son of Signature Stallions’ leading sire Straight Man, notched another stakes win on August 13 when the classy 5-year-old rolled past Grade 1 winner and heavy favorite Idiot Proof to take the $108,940 Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar.

Under Jose Valdivia Jr., Get Funky used a strong rally to prove best by a length over his highly-regarded rival in the five-furlong event on the grass, stopping the clock in :55.39 over firm going. Trained by John Sadler, Get Funky earned $50,964 for the victory to move his career bankroll past the $600,000 mark. He owns an overall record of 7-1-2 from 16 starts for owner Keith Abrahams.

Bred in Florida by Larry Stewart from the Storm Bird mare Miss Popularity, Get Funky captured the Del Mar Derby (G2) over the Del Mar turf course as a 3-year-old in 2006, and the Green Flash marked his first local start since that big win two summers ago.

Straight Man is a top 10 sire in Florida again in 2008, with progeny earnings exceeding $1.6 million through August 14.

Beacon Beach, a 2-year-old son of perennial leading Florida sire Straight Man, made an impressive debut at the races on July 13, rallying professionally from off the pace to score an easy three-length win in a $46,000 maiden special weight heat at Monmouth Park.

Bred in New Jersey by owner Headless Horsemen Racing, LLC from the Kissin Kris mare Kismet, Beacon Beach stopped the clock in :59.50 for the five furlongs over a fast dirt track at the Jersey Shore. Douglas Nunn trains the bay colt.

That’s My Man, a 6-year-old gelding by leading Florida sire Straight Man, turned in a scorching performance in a July 16th allowance race at Penn National, carving out a brilliant half-mile in :44.28 before leaving the full field of 12 in his wake turning for home to hit the wire all alone, 6 ¼ lengths in front.

That’s My Man stopped the clock in an eye-popping :55.90 for the five furlongs on turf, earning $12,480 for his fifth win from 20 career starts. Donna Colli bred his in Florida, and That’s My Man races for Jack Jackson and Alpala Farm and is conditioned by Murray L. Rojas.

Sr. Henry fired a winning race in the $250,000 American Derby (G2) run on July 12 at Arlington Park, but the 3-year-old gelding ran up against a hot division leader in Tizdejavu who was allowed to roll along on an easy lead and win the 1 3/16-mile turf test for sophomores.

Sr. Henry, by leading Florida sire Straight Man out of the Cahill Road mare B T Delite, rallied strongly to be a clear-cut second despite have to close into dawdling fractions set by the heavy favorite and eventual race winner. The margin of victory over a course listed as “soft” was 2 ¼ lengths in a final time of 1:59 4/5. Sr. Henry was another 2 ¼ lengths ahead of the third-place finisher.

The multiple stakes-placed Sr. Henry raised his career earnings to $164,020 for trainer Michael Stidham and owner Barry Golden and Peter Callahan, and the effort likely earned the gelding a spot in next month’s prestigious $1 million Secretariat Stakes (G1) on the Arlington Million undercard.

Jorge Tabraue bred Sr. Henry in Florida.

In his second start as a 5-year-old, Get Funky scored a head victory over Jungle Prince in the $75,000 Robert K. Kerlan Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park on July 6. Straight Man's leading money-winner had capped off last season by winning the Morvich Handicap (G3) at Santa Anita, and began 2008 with a troubled fourth-place finish in the Inglewood Handicap (G3).

Get Funky was off slowly in the six-furlong Kerlan on the grass, split horses on the turn, and was up in the final stride to win in a crisp 1:08.85. The winner's share of $46,785 lifted his career earnings to $553,793, most for any of Straight Man's progeny. He sports a record of 6-1-2 in 15 starts and has won two stakes in his last three races. In 2006, Get Funky captured the Del Mar Derby (G2).

Click here to get a first look at the superb first yearlings by millionaire Western Pride...

Click here to check out the new gallery for Western Pride's 2008 Foals...

Click here to check out the new gallery for Irish Road's 2008 Foals...

Mohegan Sky boosted her earnings to $229,600 with a hard-earned second-place finish behind 6-5 favorite Rewrite in the $80,500 Dynamic Lisa Stakes on the Belmont Park grass on June 5.

The 5-year-old daughter of Straight Man had won the Music Prince Stakes back on May 3 in her return from a layoff of more than seven months, and now picked up another check of $16,100 for owner Larry Enterline. The $180,000 Saratoga yearling, bred in New York by Adam Staple, Michaelyn Scott and Jim Scott, is 5-5-2 in 17 lifetime starts.

In her second career start, Sum Gracie broke her maiden at Lone Star Park on May 31, scoring by nearly four lengths in a $21,000 maiden special going six furlongs. The 3-year-old Straight Man filly, a $17,000 OBS weanling owned by Heiligbrodt Stables, raced the distance in 1:11.94 and collected a check for $12,600.

After breaking her maiden on April 30 at Hollywood Park, Upper Manhattan finished third in her May 25 stakes debut in the $84,175 Cinderella Stakes over the same synthetic surface at the Inglewood, California racetrack.

The 2-year-old daughter of Unbridled Time, bred by Liam Benson and racing for trainer David LaCroix, sat just off the early pace with Joe Talamo aboard. She then closed well in the 4 1/2-furlong race to miss second by a half-length; Trifecta King won it in 1:03.49. The third-place check of $9,399 increased Upper Manhattan's two-race total to $21,399.