Today I visited Hill 'n' Dale Farm at the end of the day and was shown Grand Reward by the stallion manager, as he enters quarantine for shuttle duty tomorrow.
As I anticipated, he is an athletic, well-conformed young horse which will likely make a great sire. He is by Storm Cat out of Serena's Song. He is very well balanced, has a good eye, compact and fluid mover. He makes me think more of his broodmare sire Rahy than of Storm Cat.
He had a stud fee of $12,500 this year, his first at stud, and the stallion manager does not anticipate an increased fee for 2007, but he does not make that decision. He was oversubscribed, and is not carrying any extra weight; apparently from a heavy duty stud season so soon following a racing career. He is expected to recover well during his month in quarantine, and be good as new in time for Southern Hemisphere breeding.
I really liked him and plan to send my mare Vivid Dreams to him next spring if she remains open at that time. Her final cover to Saarland was June 19th.
Grand Reward visit
Moderators: Roguelet, WaveMaster, madelyn
Grand Reward visit
Rocking H
My mare is open and I'm partly bummed and partly relieved. She'll be taking the year off (after 5 in a row and 2 colic surgeries) to kick back and relax 