Empire Way, a grade II stakes-placed full brother to two-time Breeders' Cup winner Royal Delta, and veteran California stallion Swiss Yodeler will stand in 2013 at Terry Lovingier's Lovacres Ranch near Warner Springs, Calif.
Three-year-old Empire Way, who will be standing his first season at stud, will stand for $5,000. Swiss Yodeler's fee is $3,000.
Empire Way, by Empire Maker , sold for $250,000 at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Florida March sale of 2-year-olds in training sale. Campaigned by Heinz Steinmann, Empire Way won at 2 at Hollywood Park in his first start and was beaten 2 3/4 lengths while fifth in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) two races later. At 3, he ran second in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) behind subsequent Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner I'll Have Another .
Empire Way, who exited racing with a record of 1-1-0 from 12 starts and earnings of $119,170, is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Delta Princess, who is a full sister to grade I winner Indy Five Hundred and a half sister to Italian group I winner Biondetti .
In addition to being a full brother to Royal Delta, winner of the 2011-12 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (gr. I), Empire Way is a half brother to a Smart Strike yearling colt who sold for $1.6 million as a weanling at the 2011 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Eighteen-year-old Swiss Yodeler, who formerly stood at Harris Farms in California, is a leading California stallion by number of stakes horses with 73. His 27 stakes winners include Eclipse Award winner and TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) winner Thor's Echo. Swiss Yodeler's runners have won 1,286 races and earned more than $24.4 million.
Swiss Yodeler, by Eastern Echo out of the stakes-winning Raja Baba mare Drapeau, won six stakes at 2 including the Hollywood Futurity (gr. I) and two other graded stakes.
