Montbrook, four-time Florida champion sire, pensioned
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Montbrook, Florida’s four-time leading sire, has been pensioned from stud duty due to declining fertility. The 23-year-old Buckaroo stallion will serve out his retirement at J. Michael O’Farrell Jr.’s Ocala Stud in Ocala, Florida, where he was born, raised and has stood his entire career at stud.

Montbrook covered a couple dozen mares this breeding season, but only a couple have been discovered to be in foal.

“Montbrook has been a flagship stallion whose contributions have been significant, not only to Ocala Stud but also the Florida breeding industry,” said O’Farrell. “We bred him, sold him as a 2-year-old, and were lucky enough to buy him back after his racing career to stand him, so he’s a special horse to us. His fertility has reached a point that the humane thing to do is to retire him, and allow Montbrook to happily live out his life. I believe his influence on racing will continue to carry on for many years through his sons at stud and daughters in many broodmare bands around the country.”

A Florida champion sire in 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009, Montbrook has lifetime progeny earnings of more than $42 million to date from 17 crops of racing age. He’s sired 47 stakes winners, 15 Graded stakes winners, four Grade 1 winners and two champions to date. His champions include 2010 Eclipse Champion Sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Big Drama, and 2001 Puerto Rican Champion Imported 3-Year-Old, Monteration.

Montbrook also enjoyed success in the sales ring as a stallion. He sired multiple session toppers, including Chapel Royal who topped the 2003 OBS February 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale at $1.2 million.

As a racehorse, Montbrook was sold for $260,000 by his breeder, Ocala Stud, in 1992 as a 2-year-old-in-training at OBS. He went on to win five of eight starts as a 3-year-old, sprinting to victories in the De Francis Dash (G3), Riva Ridge (G3), Jersey Shore and Hirsch Jacobs stakes before retiring to stud in 1996 with earnings of $373,728. A striking dark bay horse, Montbrook is out of the Jet Diplomacy mare Secret Papers.

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