by Jeff Lowe
Freshman sire Hold That Tiger will move from Ashford Stud in Kentucky to Alain Regnier’s Haras de la Haie Nueve in France for the 2008 Northern Hemisphere season.
Haras de la Haie Nueve is the same farm in Mondevert that stood High Yield, a former Ashford stallion and multiple Grade 1 winner who died on December 5 from heart problems.
Regnier said Hold That Tiger would continue to shuttle to the Sangster family’s Swettenham Stud in Australia for Southern Hemisphere duty.
The Sangster family owns the seven-year-old Storm Cat horse out of Beware of the Cat, by Caveat. Hold That Tiger is standing the Southern Hemisphere season at Swettenham with a listed fee of approximately $12,000.
Hold That Tiger covered 151 mares at Ashford in 2007 for an advertised fee of $10,000.
Through November 7, Hold That Tiger ranked fifth on the North American freshman sire list with 18 winners, including stakes winners Old Man Buck and Mikimoto’s Mojo. He ranked eighth with $700,472 in progeny earnings.
Europe’s champion two-year-old colt of 2002, Hold That Tiger led all North American stallions in '04 by covering 199 mares in his first season at Ashford. He also serviced books of 138 mares in 2005 and 90 in ’06 at Coolmore’s Kentucky division.
Bred in Kentucky by Ten Broeck Farm Inc., Hold That Tiger won the 2002 Grand Criterium-Lucien Barriere (Fr-G1) at Longchamp and finished third in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Arlington Park for trainer Aidan O’Brien. The half brother to 1996 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Editor’s Note also was the runner-up to Mineshaft in the 2003 Woodward Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.
High Yield stood at Ashford from 2001 to ’05. In four crops of racing age, he sired 215 winners from 390 starters who earned $11,333,516 through Monday. High Yield’s leading runners are Prince of Wales Stakes winner Alezzandro, Bonnie Miss Stakes (G2) winner High Again, and four-time stakes winner Amazing Buy.
Bred by Brushwood Stable, High Yield won the 1999 Hopeful Stakes (G1) and 2000 Fountain of Youth (G1) and Toyota Blue Grass (G1) Stakes for trainer D. Wayne Lukas and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis, John and Susan Magnier, and Michael Tabor.
High Yield also finished second in the 1999 Hollywood Futurity (G1) and 2000 Florida Derby (G1) and ran third to Anees in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). A $1.05-million purchase in the 1998 Keeneland July yearling sale, High Yield won four of 14 career starts and earned $1,170,196.
Retired to Ashford, High Yield covered 170 mares in his first season, which ranked third in North America in 2001. His book size declined steadily over the next four years, and he was sold to Haras La Quebrada in Argentina in 2005.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer