Hot on the heels of the Somebeachsomewhere announcement on June 29 that the stallion would stand in the southern hemisphere on a pay on a live foal basis, Empire Stallions of Australia has announced that all 10 Empire stallions, including Somebeachsomewhere and Rocknroll Hanover, will be available to breeders with a pay on a live foal option for the 2012/13 season.

Other Empire Stallions include Four Starzzz Shark, Modern Art, Artistic Fella, Village Jolt, Tell All, Blissfull Hall, Jet Laag and Dawn Ofa New Day.

David James, president of Empire, states that, “I believe that this change is long overdue and we are proud to have been the first southern hemisphere stud to introduce this option which now encompasses our entire stallion lineup. It is inevitable that other studs will follow our lead because this is a huge incentive to breeders. We are committed to furthering the standardbred industry in the southern hemisphere and it is our goal to provide exceptional stallions at affordable fees with generous discounts and now on a payment schedule that will certainly benefit breeders.

“For several years, we have been hearing from breeders that they would like an option to pay once their foal is born, rather than pay in advance. We approached the owners of all our stallions several months ago to renegotiate our contracts to allow for this payment option. All stallion owners and syndicates were happy to cooperate in this venture knowing how much it will assist and encourage southern hemisphere breeders. It is also a policy they are familiar with as all North American farms currently operate under this payment plan.”

(ESA)