From Harris Farms Press Release
COALINGA, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2023) – Stanford, California’s Leading Freshman Sire of 2021 and current co-leading Third-crop sire by black type winners and Eight Rings, the G1-winning son of Empire Maker, will stand the 2024 breeding season at Harris Farms in Coalinga, California.
Stanford, the multiple graded stakes winning son of Malibu Moon, entered stud in 2018 and was an immediate success. Leading the sire charts in California as a freshman and finishing second on the sire of Two-year-olds list that same season, has sired 5 black-type horses, including multiple stakes winner, Opening Buzz, and 61 individual winners from his first two crops to race.
Stanford stands as the property of Tommy Town Thoroughbreds. His 2024 stud fee is $5,000, Live Foal.
Eight Rings, entered stud in 2023. Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, he was a $520,000 purchase by SF Bloodstock and Starlight West at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. At 2, he won his racing debut by 6 1/4 lengths at Del Mar with trainer Bob Baffert and went on to win the American Pharaoh Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park by six.
Out of Pure Prize graded stakes winner Purely Hot, Eight Rings is bred on the same Empire Maker/Storm Cat cross as Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh and Eclipse champion Classic Empire.
Eight Rings stands as the property of a partnership managed by Adrian Gonzalez’s Checkmate Thoroughbreds. His 2024 stud fee is $6,000, Live Foal.