Harold Queen’s homebred champion sprinter Big Drama will enter stud in 2012 for $10,000 at Stonewall Farm (Marc Haisfield, managing member) near Ocala, Fla. Queen also will stand Burning Roma at Stonewall. Burning Roma, who formerly stood at Rising Hill Farm near Ocala, will hold court for $3,000.
Queen, who owns a farm near Ocala, chose Stonewall because of its proximity. “It’s very convenient for us," he said. "We’ve had a lot of interest in him, and I plan to support him with eight to 12 mares. He’s a good outcross, and I’ve been trying to accumulate mares.”
Big Drama was voted 2010 champion sprinter after winning the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) and the Smile Sprint Handicap (gr. II). He finished second in that year’s Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (gr. I) and the Forego Stakes (gr. I), both at Saratoga.
This year, Big Drama took the Mr. Prospector Stakes (gr. III) in track-record time of 1:08.12 for six furlongs at Gulfstream Park, and the Whippleton Stakes. He exited racing after finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. A 5-year-old son of Montbrook, Big Drama was retired with 11 wins from 19 races and earnings of $2,746,060.
Big Drama is out of the Notebook mare Riveting Drama and is a half brother to stakes winners Drama's Way, Little Drama, and Queen Drama.
Thirteen-year-old Burning Roma (Rubiano—While Rome Burns, by Overskate) is the sire of Little Drama and Queen Drama, plus additional stakes winners Perf and Burning Time. Both 2-year-olds this year, Queen Drama won the Florida Stallion Susan’s Girl Stakes, and Burning Time took the Foolish Pleasure Stakes. Burning Roma’s runners have earned more than $2.9 million.
Campaigned by Queen, Burning Roma was a stakes winner all five years he raced, with his major triumph coming in the Futurity Stakes (gr. I). He earned $1,500,200.