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Stroll is value

By Elaine Belval

The Claiborne sire Stroll is outstanding value for his stud fee.

Stroll is a G1 winner by sire of sires Pulpit (Sky Mesa, Tapit, etc.). His dam is the Graded stakes-placed 2YO Maid for Walking. She is also the dam of the SW and G1-placed Patrol. His second dam is the SW Stinging Nettle, by leading sire Sharpen Up.

A homebred for Claiborne, Stroll won a maiden race at Saratoga at two, won five of six starts at three (including the G2 Jamaica H.) and won the G1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard at four. All told, his record was 7 wins from 16 starts and $795,091 in earnings. All his wins came on turf.

With his pedigree and race record, Stroll was a bargain, but as a turf horse he only attracted limited interest here  and soon found his way to Italy. His first book, foals of 2006, included Canadian Champion Van Lear Rose, winner of the prestigious Mazarine S. at Woodbine. That first crop of 37 foals ended with five SWs, two of them GSWs. It’s why he was repatriated.

His  small books in Italy included the SW Celticus. His first crop since returning to Claiborne is now 3YOs. It numbers just over 50 foals and includes SW Extrasexyhippzster, winner of the Miracle Wood S. at Laurel this year and the Don Rickles S. at Aqueduct last year. He is owned by Ed Hipps and the Kirwan Equine Group, was bred by Toni M. Kirwan and Edward Hipps, and is trained by Michael Trombetta. For a while the colt was on the Triple Crown trail..

This return US-bred crop (foals of 2011) also includes the 2YO SW Skylander Girl (winner of the My Dear S. run in July at Woodbine).  He also has three additional SP horses from this crop (including the second and third-place finishers in the Sywnford S. in Canada in 2013).  His average earnings per starter is a very solid $35,000.

Stroll has 29 2YOs of 2014 and just over 20 yearlings. In 2013, his yearlings averaged just over $33,000 (his median was $30,000). And his 2014 stud fee is just $5,000.

For breeders and buyers, Stroll can just be called a downright bargain.