Harris Farms is adding proven young sire Stanford and second-year stallion Eight Rings to its roster for the 2024 breeding season, the Coalinga, Calif., farm announced Oct. 11.
Stanford, a 9-year-old son of Malibu Moon, was a multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire as a racehorse. As a sire, he got off to a quick start by becoming California's leading first-crop sire of 2021 by progeny earnings ($610,714), by number of winners (12), and by number of black-type performers (three). He has been a fixture among the top three of his sire class through their second-crop and third-crop seasons with 62 career winners to date that include five black-type performers.
Multiple stakes winner Opening Buzz is Stanford's top runner with two stakes victories this year and career earnings of $204,493. He also has sired multiple stakes-placed winner Drizella and stakes-placed winners Carmen Miranda, Stanford Bay, and Man Oh Man.
Stanford is out of the Distorted Humor daughter Rosy Humor, making him a half brother to graded-placed stakes winner Hedge Fund. His second dam Show Me the Roses (Storm Cat) is a half sister to United States and European champion 2-year-old colt Johannesburg, who went on to a successful stallion career.
Stanford stands as the property of Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, where he entered stud in 2018. His 2024 stud fee is $5,000 with a live foal guarantee.
Grade 1 winner Eight Rings entered stud at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds this year.
Bred by WinStar Farm in Kentucky, the 6-year-old son of Empire Maker was highly regarded as yearling, having sold for $520,000 to SF Bloodstock and Starlight West during the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. He won at first asking at Del Mar and became a grade 1 winner two races later when he captured the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) with trainer Bob Baffert. Eight Rings raced for three more seasons and picked up a second in the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) and thirds in the San Antonio Stakes (G2), San Pasqual Stakes (G2), and Native Diver Stakes (G3). He was retired with a 3-1-3 record from 14 starts and earned $474,451.
Out of the Pure Prize graded stakes winner Purely Hot, Eight Rings is bred on the same Empire Maker/Storm Cat cross as 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh and 2016 Eclipse champion 2-year-old colt Classic Empire. Eight Rings' immediate family also includes multiple graded stakes winner and multiple stakes producer Wood So (Baederwood).
Eight Rings stands as the property of a partnership managed by Adrian Gonzalez's Checkmate Thoroughbreds. His 2024 stud fee is $6,000 with a live foal guarantee.
