New York’s 2012 leading freshman sire Frost Giant will be headed from his base at Keane Stud in Amenia to stand at Yarradale Stud in Western Australia for the Southern Hemisphere season that begins in August.
Sunset Stables, which owns Frost Giant and is managed by Andrew Cohen, announced the shuttle plans in conjunction with Yarradale owner Ron Sayers. Yarradale will stand Frost Giant for a minimum of three years in an arrangement with Sayers and his partner, Eddie Rigg of Geisel Park Stud.
“After talking with Yarradale and learning about the high-quality mares they will breed to Frost Giant, we are really looking forward to seeing how he will do in Australia,” Cohen said. “We expect that this shuttle agreement will solidify Frost Giant as the ‘real deal’ on an international stage.”
“What Frost Giant has done in America is highly exciting, and we’re hoping he can do that down here,” Sayers said. “We have a huge emphasis on two-year-old racing in Australia, and the performance of his two-year-olds last year was impressive. We also believe the Storm Cat sire line works well in Western Australia.”
By Storm Cat’s son Giant’s Causeway, North America’s leading sire in 2009, 2010 and 2012, 10-year-old Frost Giant is out of the Gone West mare Takesmybreathaway, a half sister to Mutakddim, sire of 100 stakes winners. This also is the prolific female family of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, champion juvenile and international sire Rhythm, Grade 1 winner and sire Bluegrass Cat, Grade 1 winner Girolamo and many others.
Sayers said he will commit approximately 50 mares from his own band of 150 to Frost Giant during his initial Australian season, as well as make the stallion available to outside breeders.
Some of Sayers’ mares intended for Frost Giant are Adalia, a half sister by Silver Charm to Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap winner Seek Gold; South African champion Arabian Lass, by Al Mufti; the Elusive Quality mare Colleges, whose second dam is a sister to Breeders’ Cup Turf winner and sire In the Wings; Forest Flight, a Forestry half sister to Horse of the Year Skip Away; Let’s Get Even, a half sister to Grade 1 winner and sire Stephen Got Even, and Group 2 winners Born Priceless, Brava Fortune and Clueless Angel.
Frost Giant set a new record for first-crop earnings by a New York-based freshman sire when his progeny amassed $840,633 in 2012. Even with fewer foals in his debut crop than any other sire in the top 30, he led all North American freshmen with 80% winners from runners (12 of 15, with champion Big Brown next at 48.5%, 16 of 33) and by percentage of stakes horses from runners (26.6%, with Spring At Last next at 18.8%).
Two of Frost Giant’s offspring, stakes winners Kelli Got Frosty and West Hills Giant, are finalists for New York-bred juvenile champions in the respective categories for fillies and for males.
Frost Giant, who previously shuttled to Chile for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, currently stands for $7,500. His Australian fee will be announced at a later date. Yarradale also stands shuttler War Chant under an agreement with Three Chimneys Farm of Kentucky.
