by Jeff Lowe

Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs has acquired 2004 Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Wilko for stud duty in 2008.

The five-year-old Awesome Again horse out of Native Roots (Ire), by Indian Ridge, will stand for $10,000 at Adena Springs South in Ocala.

Adena Springs stands Awesome Again and his son, Ghostzapper, in Kentucky.

Wilko won the Juvenile at Lone Star Park in his North American debut and susbsequently finished on the board in four other Grade or Group 1 races for owners J. Paul Reddam and Susan Roy, who considered offering him in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky selected fall mixed sale on November 4.

“We like the outcross on his dam side,” Stronach’s son, Andy, said. “The nice thing about it is Northern Dancer is [four generations] back [in Wilko’s tail-male line] and he’s a huge outcross on the dam side, so he’s easy to breed to. He had 12 starts as a two-year-old and placed in a lot of stakes [including three group races in England], and a lot of horses these days couldn’t have 12 starts as a two-year-old; not in that kind of company. He made every dance and was durable.

“He’s going to stand in Florida, and we’re going to breed a lot of our own mares to him.”

Wilko finished third and was elevated to second after the disqualification of Brass Hat in the 2006 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1). He finished third in the 2004 Hollywood Futurity (G1), ’05 Santa Anita Derby (G1), and ’06 Santa Anita Handicap (G1). Wilko placed 16 times in 29 career starts, winning three races, while earning $2,435,133.

Steve Castagnola of Taylor Made Sales Agency brokered the deal.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer