Bluegrass Cat to New York as Vinery/WinStar Venture

Vinery Ltd. continues to strengthen its New York stallion operation, as on Friday it partnered with WinStar Farm to stand leading second-crop sire Bluegrass Cat at its New York operation at Sugar Maple Farm in 2012. The regally-bred, Grade 1-winning son of Storm Cat will stand as a Vinery/ WinStar Venture.

“We identified Bluegrass Cat as a top stallion and approached WinStar with the idea of partnering. We wanted to give the New York Breeders another reason to stay home, and have the type of stallion that Kentucky breeders will follow,” said Tom Ludt, President of Vinery Ltd. “At only eight years old, Bluegrass Cat has it all; race record, looks and one of the best pedigrees in the stud book. Already at stud, he has several current graded stakes runners, big books and a lot of foals in the pipeline. So we feel like everything is in place for him to be the leading sire in New York for many years to come.”

In a crop of sires that will be regarded as one of the best of this decade, Bluegrass Cat ranks as the fourth Leading Second-Crop Sire behind Bernardini, Congrats, and War Front by cumulative earnings. He has sired top 3-year-olds such as multiple graded stakes-winning filly Kathmanblu and champion colt finalist Blue Laser. Bluegrass Cat already has eight juvenile winners from his second crop including a pair of colts who were third and fourth in the Hopeful S. (G1) at Saratoga with Big Blue Nation and Laurie’s Rocket, respectively.

“We’re ready to make a big splash in New York. It’s a market we’ve looked at with great interest for some time now because of the unlimited potential,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar President & CEO. “Going into New York with a top-caliber stallion like Bluegrass Cat, and partnering with an established forerunner in New York like Vinery, fit the bill for us. WinStar has been fortunate to have enjoyed success in venture stallions such as Tiznow and Speightstown, and we’re looking forward to continued success with Vinery. WinStar plans on breeding as many mares to him in New York as we did in Kentucky. Here is an example of the excitement already in New York, in five seconds Mike Repole said he was in.”

As a racehorse, Bluegrass Cat was a leading 2-year-old and 3-year-old from a vintage crop. He won the Nashua S. (G3) and Remsen S. (G2) after breaking his maiden at two, and went on to become a Triple Crown contender as a 3-year-old. He was second to Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the runner-up in the Belmont S. before going on to capture his biggest win in the Haskell Invitational (G1), winning by a record margin of seven lengths. He retired with earnings of $1,761,280.

By Storm Cat, Bluegrass Cat is out of the A.P. Indy mare She’s A Winner, who is a full sister to the dam of Super Saver and hails from the immediate family of Private Account, Mutakddim and Not For Love.

A 2012 stud fee for Bluegrass Cat will be announced at a later date.