SUN KING TO DARBY DAN

 

Sun King, a millionaire and multiple GII winner, will enter stud at Darby Dan Farm in 2008 for a fee of $10,000.

 

“Darby Dan is honored that Tracy Farmer selected Darby Dan to stand Sun King,” commented co-managing partner John Phillips.  “In an effort to insure the best possible mare book for Sun King, Mr. Farmer has decided to offer a free breeding to Sun King to graded stakes winning or graded stakes producing mares.  Breeders are encouraged to contact Darby Dan regarding other unique and exciting incentives.”

 

A $400,000 Keeneland January yearling, Sun King competed at the highest levels throughout his four years of racing for owner Tracy Farmer and trainer Nick Zito. In just his third and fourth starts, he placed in the GI Champagne Stakes and GI Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Sun King placed in six additional GI stakes, including the 2007 Woodward Stakes to Lawyer Ron at Saratoga. In last year's GI Whitney Handicap Sun King finished a breathtaking second to eventual Horse of the Year, Invasor.

 

Sun King captured the GII Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes at Keeneland and the GII Pennsylvania Derby, showing versatility by winning at distances from 7 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. He won or placed in 17 of 27 races and earned $2,197,018. Sun King will not be syndicated and will remain the property of Tracy Farmer.

 

Sun King is scheduled to run Nov. 3 in the GIII Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs finishing his career in the Nov. 24 GI Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.

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Meadowlake Dies at Age 22
November 6, 2005

Veteran sire Meadowlake was euthanized on November 5th after rupturing his intestinal tract. He has stood at Darby Dan since 1991.

The 22-year-old son of Hold Your Peace is the sire of 18 crops, 54 stakes winners, and the earners of $41,918,529 through Sunday. Lifetime, he has 75% starters from foals, 80% winners from starters, and 17% stakes horses from starters. His progeny earned $4 million or more every year from 1999 to 2002. His daughters also made him a leading broodmare sire of 2003.

Meadowlake's first crop included Meadow Star, who won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and was named champion 2-year-old filly in 1990. Among his other stakes winners are GI Champagne Stakes winner Greenwood Lake and GII Pennsylvania Derby winner Meadow Flight.

He is represented by five stakes winners in 2005, and is the broodmare sire of another 10, including graded stakes winner Henny Hughes, who ran second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In all, he is the broodmare sire of 31 stakes winners.

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