Mr. Monomoy Brings NY Pedigree to Waldorf Farm

Last year, veterinarian Jerry Bilinski and his wife Darlene celebrated the 25th anniversary of their purchase of Waldorf Farm, a stately property in North Chatham, New York, with hundreds of acres of rolling horse-friendly pastures and solid well-insulated barns.

Upon their purchase of the property, they also brought back its original name, Waldorf Farm, and began standing stallions and boarding broodmares.

Today, Bilinski foals between 105 to 110 mares each year.

This year, when Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice) begins his new career at stud, he will join Bustin Stones (City Zip) at Waldorf Farm. Mr. Monomoy will stand as the property of Climax Stallions, LLC, Michael Dubb and Madaket Stables. His initial stud fee has been announced as $5,000.

When Climax Stallions set out to find a prospect to stand in New York, Mr. Monomoy checked all of the boxes as the half-brother to a two-time Distaff winner in seven-time Grade I-winning champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar).

Mr. Monomoy’s sire Palace Malice (Curlin) won more than $2.6 million, raced until age five, and his titles include winner of both the GI Metropolitan H. and GI Belmont S. The Grade I-producing third-crop sire stands at Three Chimneys Farm.

A member of his sire’s first crop to hit the track, Mr. Monomoy broke his maiden under trainer Brad Cox in his second start as a two-year-old at Churchill Downs going 6 1/2 furlongs and winning by 5 1/2 lengths. After finishing in the money in his next two starts, including a third-place effort in the GIII Lecomte S. behind Enforceable (Tapit) and Silver State (Hard Spun), he culminated his career with a 2 1/2-length wire-to-wire victory in the GII Risen Star S., defeating those same rivals he had finished behind in his previous start.

“We are very excited to have such a high-caliber stallion here in New York,” said Jerry Bilinski. “This is a top-notch stallion for this region. We had talked to Sean Feld of Climax Stallions about eventually having a horse that we could stand here at Waldorf. We were just holding our breath that someday, that would happen. A month or two ago, he called, and the rest is history.”

Bilinski said that Mr. Monomoy has a physical that should easily attract breeders.

“He’s got great size to him and he’s got a great stride,” he said. “If you look at his conformation photos, you’ll see exactly what we mean–that he does have what it’s going to take to be a sire.”

Sean Feld, managing partner of Climax Stallions, said that the intention was always to stand the Grade II winner in New York.

“We bought Mr. Monomoy specifically for the New York breeding program,” said Feld. “Mr. Monomoy had speed and he had speed on dirt. In New York, horses race on only dirt for almost half the year. He won going short and long. He broke his maiden going 6 1/2 furlongs and then won a Grade II going nine furlongs.”

He added that both Mr. Monomoy’s sire and his half-sister Monomoy Girl have great name recognition in New York.

“His sire Palace Malice was a monster in New York,” said Feld. “He won the Met Mile and the Belmont S., and his start at stud has been good. He throws stone-cold runners and his crop of mares last year is going to be great after he had Structor win the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Mr. Monomoy will be the first of many sons out there.”

“Our business model has turned into buying siblings of really good horses,” he continued. “We started with Bullet Train (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), a half to Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), then had Curlin to Mischief (Curlin), a half to Into Mischief and Beholder, as well as Editorial (War Front), a half to Uncle Mo, and St Patrick’s Day (Pioneerof the Nile), a full-brother to American Pharoah.”

But Feld said that Mr. Monomoy offers unique appeal compared to most stallions that begin their stud career in the program.

“One difference is that Mr. Monomoy has a really good race record,” he said. “He was able to win going short and then win a major Kentucky Derby prep by carrying his speed around two turns at a mile-and-an-eighth.”

“Those are two major check marks that make a top sire in my opinion,” added Brad Cox, who spoke with the TDN last December.

Feld pointed to the correlation of success at stud for half-brothers of two-time Distaff winners.

“There have only been four two-time Distaff winners,” he said. “The first was Bayakoa (Arg) (Consultant’s Bid), then Royal Delta (Empire Maker), whose half-brother Khozan (Distorted Humor) stands in Florida, next came Beholder (Henny Hughes), who is a half to Into Mischief and Mendelssohn and then the fourth one is Monomoy Girl. It has definitely correlated into stallion success.”

As owners, Feld said, Climax Stallions takes its marketing responsibility seriously for breeding and then later when the stallion’s foals hit the sales.

“Our main source of supporting the stallions we own is our marketing,” he said. “We throw a lot of money into really branding the horse. Success comes not just in breeding. We need people to like him at all points. We will also support him at the yearling sales. Mr. Dubb kept a piece of him as did Mr. Kumin. His team can’t wait for the foals.”

Bilinski reported that Mr. Monomoy has settled in easily at the sprawling upstate Waldorf Farm.

“He arrived approximately at seven in the morning and came off the van happy,” he said. “We put him in the stall. He looked around and started eating hay and it didn’t faze him a bit. He has an excellent mental attitude. My farm manager Kenny Toye says he’s been nothing but a gentle giant. And so, we’re very happy with that.”

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Fog of War: The New War Front in Town

The town of Stillwater, New York, just outside Saratoga Springs, is often called the ‘turning point of the American Revolution.’ It was there that one of the critical battles in the Battle of Saratoga was won and so it is fitting that the new stallion in town, standing at Barry Ostrager’s Questroyal North, is Fog of War (War Front–Say {Ire}, Galileo {Ire}). This son of War Front and winner of the GI Summer Stakes at Woodbine at two will stand as the property of Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm Inc. and Three C Stables, LLC with a stud fee set at $7,000 LFSN.

A $400,000 Keeneland September yearling, Fog of War was purchased by White Birch Farm and raced for his entire career with Chad Brown in Brant’s colors.

“Fog of War has been a horse we’ve been following since early on in his career,” said Christopher Bernhard, general manager at Questroyal and advisor to Three C Stables. “He was a maiden special weight winner here in Saratoga and shipped up to Woodbine for a second start [in the GI Summer S.] and looked pretty hopeless at the top of the stretch. Ultimately, he got free and got ahead of Preakness winner War of Will (War Front) at the wire. He won by about a length and a half. Just to have all that traffic in just his second race and then when he finally got free, he just kind of shook loose. He probably would have been one of the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup that year if he didn’t come out of the race with some sore shins. And, so they put him away for a little while.”

Brant, speaking to the TDN on Nov. 17, said he was impressed with Fog of War’s two-year-old season as well.

“Fog of War’s win first time out at Saratoga and his Grade I victory in the “Win and You’re In” Summer S. at Woodbine beating War of Will showed us that he was our best colt of that crop and marked him as one of the clear favorites for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf,” said Brant. “Unfortunately, Fog bucked his shins and would not make the race but his undefeated 2-year-old campaign managed to show everyone his brilliant turn of foot and class.”

Said Bernhard, “Fog of War, to me, is probably the nicest pedigree of any horse that’s come to the state. War Front has established himself as a very good sire of sires at this point. His son Declaration of War had a Breeders’ Cup winner with Fire at Will. The Factor has also had numerous Grade I stakes horses. War Front also has several young sons that are at stud now like Omaha Beach who was an incredibly popular horse last year. And, then Claiborne Farm will be standing War of Will for his first season this coming breeding season.”

“Fog of War’s, dam, Say, was a Group Stakes winner, Group 1 Stakes-placed over in Europe,” Bernhard continued. “She had three foals of racing age. All three of them are stakes winners by War Front. The second dam was an incredible race filly here named Riskaverse, who made a little over $2 million dollars and danced every dance here. She was a $5 million broodmare prospect. The female family includes Havre de Grace, who was a $10 million broodmare prospect several years ago and sold to Mandy Pope. And Toll Fee, the third dam, is a brilliant female family with countless number of Group and Graded stakes winners.”

Chris Larsen, founder of Three C Stables, named for himself, his wife Colleen and his son Conner, became interested in horse racing after a serious motorcycle accident. He invested with West Point Thoroughbreds

“I was lucky enough to start off as a partner in Saratoga Russell (Trippi) and Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union),” said Larsen. “They were both outstanding runners and it was great working with West Point and Terry Finley.”

When Larsen decided try his hand at breeding racehorses, he started with the fillies then racing with West Point.

“Instead of selling them all at auction, we would have them appraised and I would decide whether or not to buy them. For instance, I bought and still have Fitz Just Right,” said Larsen. “I enjoy the idea of trying to create something. When you breed a horse that goes on to win a race, it puts you on top of the world.”

Larsen met Bernhard a decade or so ago when he was looking for someone to oversee his mares and advise him on breeding decisions.

“I’ve been doing this for close to a decade with Chris’s help,” said Larsen. “He has been looking for a stallion prospect for New York and when he mentioned Fog of War, I was like ‘that’s the horse.'”

“I am huge believer in the Galileo mare and you can’t take anything away from War Front,” said Larsen. “You have two great sire lines in Fog of War. He could be the horse that really carries on the Danzig line. I feel that strongly about him. I like him so much I decided to invest a lot more in mares and become more of a commercial breeder.”

“It was made even better when we found out we could partner with Peter,” said Larsen. “It’s the right horse with the right guy, with the right partner, and he’s got the right support. I’m really looking forward to it.”

In speaking to the TDN in November, Larsen added: “This will give breeders access to the world’s most successful sire lines… as well as taking advantage of the lucrative New York State breeder awards and restricted racing programs. We think Fog of War is destined to be New York State’s great sire.”

Adjusting to life on the farm at Questroyal seems to be no problem for Fog of War.

“I’ve been really impressed with the way Fog of War has handled coming in off of the racetrack,” said Bernhard. “You know, we’ve had quite a few showings and he’s come right into the breeding shed, stands up like he’s been doing this his whole life.”

“He has been a sweetheart to be around in the stall. I picked him up a Jollyball so he can throw that at me every day. And he’s just been a complete gentleman. We’re really excited to get him turned out in big field and let him do his thing and the breeding shed will open in a few weeks.”

“I’m going to say at this point we’ve got seventy-five in-house mares that are going to Fog of War,” said Bernhard. “When we were able to negotiate a deal with Mr. Brant, who’s also going to be sending a significant number of mares from Kentucky to breed to him, we went to Keeneland and Mr. Larsen bought 31 mares at the Keeneland November sale specifically for the horse. I don’t believe there’s been a horse that’s had that opportunity right off the racetrack with that volume of in-house horses.”

“Fog of War has all the makings of a potentially high-class stallion with his conformation, pedigree and speed,” said Brant in November. “I am so thrilled Fog will have the opportunity to be an exciting freshman stallion in New York and also allow White Birch Farm to be a new player in the New York State breeding and racing program.”

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