Donation by Ballena Vista Farm Brings Thoroughbreds to Tucson
Oct. 1, 2020
This fall, ACBS’s Equine Program received a very generous gift from Ballena Vista Farm of Ramona, California, thanks to the efforts of RTIP Director, Wendy Davis. The donation includes in-foal mares, 2020 weanlings, and a stallion (Eddington) who has been successful in both his own race career and in siring winners on the racetrack.
Eddington was a very successful G1 winning racehorse with earnings on the track of $1,216,760. His offspring have enjoyed similar success and have earned over $22,000,000. Eddington’s most successful son, Secret Circle, stands out as he is a two-time winner in the Breeders’ Cup sprint division and winner of the Dubai Golden Shaheen, all Grade 1 stakes races. He retired with earnings of $3,670,790.
The mares and weanlings will provide the opportunity for students to experience preparing and selling Thoroughbreds at auction, while at the same time, supporting the Equine Program as the proceeds of the sales are reinvested to support the program.
All of the mares are in foal to and four of the weanlings are sired by, the stallion, I’ll Have Another, the earner of over $2.6 million during his racing career. As the 2012 winner of both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, I’ll Have Another looked to have a strong chance to earn Triple Crown honors until a tendon injury just days before the Belmont Stakes forced him into retirement. Recently repatriated from standing at stud at Big Red Farm in Hokkaido, Japan, his first U.S. bred foals arrived in 2020 and our UArizona students will be working with some of these foals as a part of their curriculum.
Wendy Davis