Sky Mesa , the 9-year-old stallion who had two operations related to a bout of colic, arrived back at Three Chimneys Farm Feb. 25 from Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington and is on schedule to return to breeding around March 20.
"Since the second surgery, Sky Mesa has continued to progress in a positive direction and is showing all the signs of a healthy recovery and is pretty much back to acting like the Sky Mesa we all know," said farm spokeswoman Jen Roytz.
The son of Pulpit—Caress, by Storm Cat, underwent surgery for acute abdominal pain Feb. 15, and an an additional operation was performed Feb. 19 to correct an impaction.
At the time he was taken to the clinic, Sky Mesa had been bred to one mare during the 2009 breeding season. Despite Sky Mesa missing the first part of the breeding season, there will be limited impact on the number of mares he services this year, Roytz said, explaining that the number of mares bred to Three Chimneys stallions is limited. She said there had been minimal attrition due to the interruption in the stallion's ability to stand at stud.
Sky Mesa, the leading second-crop sire of 2008 and second on the third-crop sire list for 2009, is the sire of General Quarters, a 3-year-old who entred the Triple Crown picture with a victory in the Feb. 14 Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs.
