Trot Insider has learned that pacing stallion Riverboat King will be moving to Alberta after a deal was reached to sell the stallion.
A son of Cams Card Shark - Why Wont Ya, Riverboat King has been purchased from Winbak Farm by Alberta's Blair Corbeil.
"With the new track (Century Downs) opening up outside Calgary, we know that the breeding here is probably going to get better and the yearling prices will start getting better," Corbeil told Trot Insider. "We've been looking for a stallion; an older stallion that's proven.
"At Harrisburg I was talking to Winbak Farm, just a casual conversation, and they thought they might have some stallions that would fit the bill here. When I got back from Harrisburg I did some more research and felt that Riverboat King and that Cam Fella line would be a good fit out here."
With a province heavily populated by daughters of Hall of Fame stallion As Promised, a son of Abercrombie, the cross on paper looks to be ideal.
With a mark of 1:48.3 and more than $1.23 million earned, Riverboat King performed solidly at ages two through five and has stamped his offspring with that same toughness, most notably as the sire of three-time O'Brien Award winning pacing mare Anndrovette among his 33 $100,000 winners.
Corbeil acknowledged that durability as a key attribute in his selection of Riverboat King, who will stand his first season in Alberta at Meridian Farms for a $1,500 stud fee.
Joining Riverboat King at Meridian's Alberta location is a former racehorse of Corbeil's, Trust The Artist. That son of Real Artist boasts career earnings of $587,521 and a mark of 1.50.2 and from extremely limited stallion opportunity -- one foal of racing age -- has already produced stakes winner Pablos First. Trust The Artist will command a stud fee of $750.