General Quarters, a two-time grade I winner, will enter stud at Stonewall Farm Ocala (Marc Haisfield, managing member) near Ocala, Fla. The 6-year-old son of Sky Mesa was retired in December. His fee is $8,500.
Trained by his owner, Tom McCarthy, General Quarters was a grade I winner on dirt and turf. At 3 in 2009, he won the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland, plus the Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs. The following year he captured the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (gr. IT) at Churchill Downs over Court Vision .
Following the Toyota Blue Grass, General Quarters contested the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I). The grandson of Pulpit finished unplaced in both races.
General Quarters placed in four graded stakes, including the 2010 Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I), won by subsequent champion Blame at Churchill Downs, and the 2011 WinStar Kentucky Cup Stakes (gr. II). During his career, General Quarters won or placed in 15 of 27 starts and earned $1,226,655.
Bred in Kentucky by Mr. and Mrs. R. David Randal, General Quarters is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Ecology, who is a half sister to stakes winner Minimalist. Second dam Gdansk’s Honour is an Irish stakes winner.
General Quarters joins Eclipse Award winner Big Drama at Stonewall. Champion sprinter in 2010 for breeder/owner Harold Queen, Big Drama will stand for $10,000.
“We are excited here at Stonewall to bring two heavy hitters like General Quarters and Big Drama to the stallion market in Florida,” said Michelle Hemingway, Stonewall’s director of sales/bloodstock. “We expect tremendous things from both of them at stud and with them both being so different, we are thrilled to be able to showcase them in our stallion roster.
“General Quarters was a phenomenal race horse, and he brings stamina and tremendous body to the mare bands here. If you look at his pedigree, he is bred on the same cross as stallion Tapit (by Pulpit out of an Unbridled mare). In Florida we have a lot of speedy mares and General Quarters will offer them stamina and classic distance."
