Grade Two Juvenile by Pioneerof the Nile
to stand at Byerpatch Farm
Ohio breeders will have their first chance to breed to a Grade Two juvenile star sired by PIONEEROF THE NILE when his top-class son RIVER DANCER commences stallion duties at Burke Byer’s BYERPATCH FARM in Lebanon, Ohio in 2021.
Breaking slowly in his debut RIVER DANCER recovered to post a resounding win at Belmont Park. His impressive time of 1:09 4/5 for six furlongs was accomplished with an electrifying :23 final quarter mile.
For his second start he was entered in the Grade Two With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga against more seasoned two-year-olds. Caught in a traffic jam on the backstretch he roared home with another final quarter mile in :23 to finish second to a multiple Graded stakes-winning WAR FRONT colt.
His ecstatic owners saw in RIVER DANCER a genuine Breeders Cup Juvenile contender but that joy was short-lived as their rising star stepped in a hole while pulling up. Diagnosed with a severe rupture in his hind suspensory ligament he was vanned off the track.
RIVER DANCER was weighted at 110 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for these two brilliant performances.
Rather than retire RIVER DANCER to stud his owners unwisely elected to bring him back to the races after a 27 month hiatus. He placed once at seven furlongs (in 1:21 4/5) in several starts as a five-year-old while still bothered by his two-year-old injury.
RIVER DANCER’s unquestioned talent coupled with his stellar pedigree creates for Ohio breeders a unique breeding opportunity.
The 16.1 hand RIVER DANCER is Ohio’s ONLY new stallion by a PROVEN sire of leading sires.
RIVER DANCER joins other sons of leading sire PIONEEROF THE NILE–AMERICAN PHAROAH and CAIRO PRINCE–whose Graded stakes performances as two-year-olds previewed their later success as stallions.
America’s leading second year sire AMERICAN PHAROAH has already sired two Grade One stakes winners. America’s leading third-year sire CAIRO PRINCE sired the 2020 Ohio Derby-G3 winner DEAN MARTINI.
Two Grade One stakes-winning sons of PIONEEROF THE NILE—champion CLASSIC EMPIRE and MIDNIGHT STORM—will have their first crops at the races in 2021. Yearlings by CLASSIC EMPIRE sold up to $375,000 this year while MIDNIGHT STORM yearlings sold up to $200,000.
Byerpatch Farm owner BURKE BYER said, “we are very happy to stand this high class son of a proven sire of sires at Byerpatch Farm. My father bred many good racehorses at this farm and we expect RIVER DANCER to carry on this tradition for us. We set a very reasonable stud fee for him and are offering breeders another great incentive by awarding a free lifetime breeding to RIVER DANCER after four seasons are purchased. I believe RIVER DANCER will become a leading Ohio stallion.”
Standing at an introductory stud fee of $1,500 live foal breeders may breed additional mares for $1,000 each. A lifetime breeding right will be awarded after four stud fees have been paid.
For booking information contact Byerpatch Farm at (513) 304-4249 or Premier Stallions at (859) 221-4845.
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