Gooree Park Stud has arranged for the Fastnet Rock Group winner Rock Sturdy to stand at stud in Victoria.
The G2 winner and G1 placegetter will become the foundation sire at the Stockwell Thoroughbreds - formerly Emirates Park Stud and before that famous as Stockwell Stud – at Digger’s Rest near Melbourne.
The stud was recently taken over by long established breeders Mike and Brodie Becker.
“We had not intended to stand at stallion this season but this horse has so much going for him that it was not a hard decision to make,” said Mike Becker.“He is by a pre-eminent sire who has made a nice start as a sire of sires. Equally importantly he is closely related to some very smart stakes horses."
“He descends from the proven stallion family of the great Cozzene, a champion US turf miler and subsequently a champion US sire.”Becker said a long association with Gooree Park through the stallion Artie Schiller had led to Rock Sturdy being offered to Stockwell Thoroughbreds.
“We are delighted to be in partnership with such prominent breeders as Gooree – their record of breeding quality horses is well known, as is their ability to produce and support a stallion,” said Becker.Rock Sturdy won the G2 Shannon Stakes and was third in the G1 Emirates Stakes in a career that saw win or placed in 13 of his 24 starts.
Stockwell Stud, owned by the Cox family, was a leading nursery standing the champion stallion Showdown, Comeram, Star Shower and earlier Landau and Empryean.