(Edited press release)
Big Brown , last year’s 3-year-old champion male and dual classic winner, is scheduled to cover a number of prominent mares at Robert N. Clay’s Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky., this year in his first season at stud. Big Brown's mates beyond this year will include 2008 champion and Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) winner Stardom Bound following her retirement from racing.
Stardom Bound is scheduled to start in the Feb. 7 Las Virgenes Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita and will continue racing as long as she is sound, according to IEAH Stables. Her appointment with Big Brown may not be until after 2010.
IEAH Stables raced Big Brown in partnership and bought Stardom Bound for $5.7 million at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton November select sale.
"Stardom Bound is a perfect match for Big Brown both physically and on paper," said Mike Iavarone, president of IEAH. "We've got a full 3-year-old campaign mapped out for her, starting with this weekend's Las Virgenes and, provided she stays happy, healthy, and sound and is competitive at the top levels of the sport, we're open to thinking of a 4-year-old campaign as well. The public wants to see horses compete longer and we definitely want to give them that opportunity with our best horses."
Among the 19 mares IEAH has committed to Big Brown’s book for 2009 are IEAH and partners-owned graded stakes winners Irish Smoke, Wonder Lady Anne L, and Ms Brookski.
Other mares committed to Big Brown for the 2009 breeding season are graded stakes winners and/or producers D’Enough, La Gueriere, Mistical Bel, and Ivanavinalot.
“Big Brown’s book of mares this year has a lot of quality,” said Case Clay, president of Three Chimneys Farm. “We’re very pleased with the mare support by breeders as well as the shareholders. He was very well received at our open house this November and the quality started coming in after breeders saw him up close.”
Big Brown (Boundary--Mien, by Nureyev) won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) during a 3-year-old campaign in which he won a total of four grade I stakes and was an added-money winner on both dirt and turf. He stands for $65,000 stands and nurses.