Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's Violence backed up all the promise shown when he entered stud in 2014 by siring his 50th black-type winner July 14 at Monmouth Park.
The stallion's 3-year-old son Apollo Ten notched the important milestone when he captured his first stakes victory in the My Frenchman Stakes on the grass. Apollo Ten is raced by Cheyenne Stable and trained by Christophe Clement. The colt has won three of six career starts and came into the My Frenchman off a runner-up effort in the Tom Ridge Stakes on the all-weather main track at Presque Isle Downs.
Candy Meadows bred Apollo Ten in Kentucky out of the Midshipman graded-placed stakes winner Stormy Regatta. Apollo Ten is a half brother to grade 2 winner Bay Storm (Kantharos ).
Besides Apollo Ten, Violence has been represented this year by John Nerud Stakes (G2) winner Milliken, San Pasqual Stakes (G2) winner Newgrange, and Bashford Manor Stakes winner Politicallycorrect.
Violence's top performers to date include 19 graded/group winners and two champions—2022 Eclipse champion 2-year-old Forte , and Fiel Amigo, the 2021 champion 2-year-old colt in Argentina.
Forte is Violence's chief earner with more than $3 million in prize money. Out of the Blame stakes winner Queen Caroline, Forte won six graded stakes at 2 and 3. He earned championship honors after winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), Breeders' Futurity (G1), and Hopeful Stakes (G1). At 3, he won the Florida Derby (G1), Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), and Jim Dandy Stakes (G2). Forte missed an opportunity to contest the Kentucky Derby (G1) after he was scratched by state veterinarians following a pre-race soundness exam the morning of the race. Because he was put on the vet's list for 14 days, he missed the Preakness Stakes (G1) as well. He went on to finish second in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
Forte entered stud this year at Spendthrift Farm, where he stood for $50,000.
Violence had an impressive résumé when he started his stallion career. The son of sire of sires Medaglia d'Oro also hailed from one of the most prolific families in the American stud book. His dam, the Gone West winner Violent Beauty, traces tail-female to Sky Beauty, the 1994 champion older mare and winner of eight grade 1 stakes. Sky Beauty is out of Maplejinsky, a three-time grade 1 winner and a half sister to English Horse of the Year and multiple champion Dayjur.
Agents Nick Sallusto and Hanzly Albina picked Violence out of the 2011 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and signed a ticket for $600,000 on behalf of Steve Marshall's Black Rock Stables. The colt was sent to trainer Todd Pletcher, who gave him an undefeated campaign at 2 that included the Futurity Stakes (G1) at the since-shuttered Hollywood Park and the Nashua Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack. At 3, he was runner-up to eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and then forced into retirement by a fractured sesamoid he sustained in this race. The timing of Violence's injury in 2013 prevented him from starting his stud career until 2014.
Speed and precocity were prominent in Violence's first crop, taking the stallion to the top of the 2017 freshman sire standings by progeny earnings ($1,556,274), number of winners (32), and number of stakes winners (four). Violence continued to lead as a second-crop sire by progeny earnings and again by number of winners (82), number of stakes winners (eight), and by number of black-type performers (19).
Violence was shuttled four seasons (2014-17) to Argentina's Haras La Pasión.
Besides Forte and Fiel Amigo, Violence has sired other grade/group 1 winners in Dr. Schivel , No Parole , Volatile , and Dandy Del Barrio. Collectively, the sire's elite runners have won 11 grade/group 1 stakes in North and South America. Another top performer named Che Maga did not win a group 1 but she captured 12 black-type stakes (10 group stakes) racing from 3 to 6 and earned more than 27.2 million pesos.
Violence's progeny also have shown versatility, with 19 of his stakes winners winning on turf and a couple of stakes winners succeeding on both surfaces. Violence's son Order and Law, out of the Shakespeare mare Poetic Kid, won the 2018 Laurel Futurity on the grass at Laurel Park and later won the 2023 Cougar II Stakes (G3) on Del Mar's main track.
While Violence continues to sire talented racehorses, Hill 'n' Dale has more recently had to manage the stallion carefully to ensure he's getting mares in foal.
Prior to the 2024 breeding season, Hill 'n' Dale announced it had lowered Violence's stud fee to $40,000 from $60,000.
"At the end of last breeding season, Violence had a period where he was missing too many of his mares. We raised his fee to not only reflect his racetrack success but to lessen demand for the stallion," said John Sikura, president of Hill 'n' Dale. "In evaluating a recent veterinary opinion on the management of his book, we feel confident he can cover a maximum book of 125 mares in 2024. Violence is an important sire and we feel this adjustment will allow more breeders to access the horse at a price more than competitive in the marketplace."
Sikura told the BloodHorse this week that Violence continues to breed a full book of mares. According to The Jockey Club records, Violence bred 134 mares in 2023, 148 in 2022, and 159 in 2021.
"Violence is a wonderful sire but he can be tricky getting mares in foal. We manage him specifically and that requires a great effort on behalf of our breeding shed crew," Sikura told BloodHorse. "He has bred a full book every year and produces quality at every age, distance, and surface. He has a loyal following and produces sales horses and real racehorses."
