By Bill Heller
Optimism is running wild as New York breeders and owners contemplate the new year, which will see New York-bred purses raised to open-company levels and a brand new Belmont Park set to open in September.
The New York Racing Association will increase purses in all New York-bred overnight races for two-year-olds to start the New Year, and will increase purses in all New York-bred races coinciding with Belmont Park’s September opening.
Accordingly, nine new stallions will stand in New York in 2026.
“I don’t know that New York has ever had a stronger group of stallions,” Carlos Manresa, the director of operations at Sequel Stallions, said. “With every year, it becomes more and more exciting. I think you see a large amount of investment in new stallions to go to New York, and I think that Newgrange is part of that exciting group.”
Newgrange, a son of Violence out of the Empire Maker mare Bella Chianti who will be entering his first year as a stallion, won seven of his 17 starts and earned just over $1 million. He began his career by winning a maiden race, the Grade 3 Sham Stakes and the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes before finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Rebel. He then won the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes twice and the Grade 2 San Antonio.
“He has that Medaglia (d’Oro) line, which is a very powerful bloodline,” Manresa said. “He’s the only son of Violence in New York. We showcased him before the breeding stock sale at Saratoga in October and just had a small open house up in New York. I’m just a fan of him.”
Chris Bernhard of Hidden Lake Farm said he hadn’t planned on bringing three new stallions into New York, but he did. “With being close to the completion of the new Belmont Park and purse equity, our breeding program looks like a safe haven to be in. It seems like a smart time to take a swing.”
He’s bringing in three heavy hitters: Mixto, Disarm and Confidence Game.
Mixto, a son of Good Magic out of Musical Mystery by Concerto, earned $3.3 million from two victories, three seconds and five thirds in 18 starts. He won the Grade 2 San Antonio and the Grade 1 Pacific Classic and, in his last start, finished second by a half-length to Hit Show in the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup. “He’s Good Magic’s leading earner,” Bernhard said. “He’s a pretty, pretty horse.”
Disarm, a son of Gun Runner out of the Tapit mare Easy Tap, had four victories, four seconds and four thirds in 19 starts, earning just under $1.7 million. He finished fourth in the 2023 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, and was second to Arcangelo in the Grade 1 Travers and third in the Grade 1 Whitney to Sierra Leone. “He was a true handicap horse,” Bernhard said. “He danced every dance. He’s the first Gun Runner to come to New York.”
Both Mixto and Disarm are beginning their stallion careers in 2026.
Confidence Game won three of 20 starts, including the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes. The son of Candy Ride (ARG), out of Eblouissante by Bernardini, earned more than $800,000. “He went to South America and bred over 100 mares.” Bernhard said. He went into quarantine last week. He’ll be here sometime between Christmas and New Year’s. Candy Ride is arguably the most relevant sire in the last 25 years.”
Kentucky’s loss is New York’s gain. War of Will, a Grade 1 winner on both turf and dirt, will stand at Rockridge Stud after four seasons at Claiborne Farm. “We’re excited to have him,” Erin Robinson, the stallion director at Rockridge Stud, said. “So often in Kentucky, they give up on them pretty quickly. But he’s got some promising three-year-olds out there. They weren’t ready to give up on him and they wanted to try a different venue. Gary Barber is a pretty good client for us. We feel there is something in the pipeline.”
On the track, War of Will won five of 18 starts, including the 2019 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on dirt and the 2020 Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile on grass. He earned nearly $1.9 million.
In 2024, War of Will’s progeny had 13 victories and earned more than $1.1 million. In 2025, his two-year-old filly Final Accord won the Grade 3 Matron Stakes and finished ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf.
Robinson thinks he’ll do well in New York: “The new Belmont Park and the purse parity coming is a huge boon to New York breeders. The program is just going to get stronger and stronger in the years to come, and the stallions, I think, are reflecting that encouragement that we all feel good for the future.”
Former trainer David Cannizzo is understandably excited about his new New York stallion Leinster, one of the nation’s leading freshman sires in Florida, now standing at his and his wife Carolyn’s brand new Mountain View Farm, located on the former site of Jeffrey Tucker’s Stone Bridge Farm, which closed less than a month ago. They were formerly at Willow Brook Stables just five miles away.
“We sort of outgrew Willow Brook,” Cannizzo said. “We’ll have two stallions to start, Fire at Will and Leinster. Eventually, we want to stand four or five stallions and grow the New York market by bringing in some real stallions here.”
Leinster is by Majestic Warrior out of Vassar by Royal Academy. He posted six victories, six seconds and five thirds in 24 starts, earning more than $750,000.
Through mid-December, Leinster is the eighth leading first crop sire in North America, with progeny earnings topping $800,000. His leading earner is Lennilu, at $216,489. Lennilu won four of six starts and finished third in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Ascot. She was seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
“I’ve gotten some great calls from Florida connections and Kentucky connections to breed to Leinster,” Cannizzo said. “You can see the trend of people that might come to this state. Adding purses is only going to help. Races with five or six horses could go to eight or nine. NYRA helping the breeders by putting more money out there is going to help the foal crop rise. Opening doors has brought a ton more mares to our farm. I’m sure everybody’s business has picked up.”
McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds has been a showcase for a long time: where Funny Cide was born and where their stallions Central Banker and Solomini have become nationally significant. Now they are adding a horse named Showcase, who only raced twice but made quite an impression, winning his maiden debut by 7 ½ lengths and the Grade 2 Saratoga Special by 3 ¼. He is a son of Uncle Mo out of Buy Sell Hold by Violence.
“He was a very talented horse,” his trainer Todd Pletcher said Thursday morning. “I felt like he was one of our top two-year-old prospects with his pedigree. He had very good natural speed and he was going to get better as he stretched out. He won his first two starts than he had a couple different problems. We thought he was on the way to the Champagne with a good chance to win it.”
John McMahon, general manager and partner at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, is pumped about Showcase: “New York needs a horse who is going to be precocious and get out there as a two-year-old. He’s 16.2, tremendously built, super fast and super precocious. The Uncle Mo line is tremendous. This is a really, really special colt.”
And his timing couldn’t be better, entering stud when New York-breds will be racing for the same purses as open-company horses. “The New York-bred crop, we breed a better and better horse every year,” McMahon said. “Grade 1 winners this year. We really have a nice product out there. This is a great spot to race today. It’s only going to get better. It really is.”
Manny Wah earned a little more than $1 million the hard way on the racetrack, and is a new stallion at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions.
“Manny Wah is interesting because he’s closely relation to Lookin at Lee, who stands with us,” Moe Scavullo, Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions’ stallion manager said. “It was really exciting when I got the opportunity to see him for the first time. He’s really strong.”
Manny Wah, a son of Will Take Charge out of Battlefield Angel by Proud Citizen, posted five victories, 11 seconds and eight thirds in 48 career starts, winning at least one race on dirt, turf and synthetic and earning $1,012,499. On dirt, Manny Wah finished third in the Grade 1 Malibu, fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and won the Grade 2 Phoenix. “Obviously, it’s exciting to have the third surface (synthetic) coming to Belmont,” Scavullo said. “It gives us an opportunity to bring in some stallions.”
Arzak, by Not This Time out of Delightful Melody by Tapit, won eight of 36 starts with five seconds and three thirds, for earnings of $1,081,294. He won the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes on synthetic at Woodbine and the Grade 2 Woodford and Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes on turf at Keeneland. He also finished second in the Grade 1 Jaipur on turf at Saratoga and ran sixth twice in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. He is the first son of Not This Time, who has had a breakout year at stud in 2025, to stand in New York.
He’ll stand at Amsterdam Two Farm, a 248-acre farm in Middleburgh, roughly 60 miles south of Saratoga. The farm opened in 2024. “This will be his first year at stud,” Amsterdam Two Farm’s farm manager Ken Williams said. “We just thought so much of his ability. He’s truly an A-plus, one of the 10 most balanced horses I’ve seen in my life. He’s 16.1 hands, really versatile and durable.”
Williams can’t wait to see how his progeny do in New York with purse parity and a new Belmont Park: “Nine new stallions are in the state of New York for 2026. New York is just moving in a fabulous direction with the purse parity, the award money that we can get, and the innovations to Belmont Park.”
