It is with great excitement and pride that Hanover Shoe Farms announces the addition of three-year-old pacing colt phenom Tall Dark Stranger to its stallion roster for the 2021 breeding season.
With a record of 1:49.1 at age two and a current record of 1:47.1 at age three and $1,741,645 earned thus far, Tall Dark Stranger has a remarkable slate of 16 wins and one second-place finish from 18 career starts. Tall Dark Stranger is owned by Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin and Lynn Katz, Caviart Farms and Howard and Marlene Taylor, and is trained by Nancy Takter and driven by Yannick Gingras.
Tall Dark Stranger is the only horse in history to win the Metro Pace and Breeders Crown as a two-year-old and return to racing as a three-year-old and win both the Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup. Tall Dark Stranger also won the International Stallion Stakes at two en route to being voted Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year in both the United States and Canada. This year at three, in addition to the Meadowlands Pace and North American Cup, he has also captured the Cane Pace and the Kentucky Sire Stakes final. Tall Dark Stranger is scheduled to start next at the Red Mile and then go on to the Breeders Crown at Harrah's Hoosier Park.
Seemingly destined for greatness from his birth, Tall Dark Stranger was a $330,000 purchase from the 2018 Lexington Selected Sale. He was considered by many to be the premier pacing colt offered at that venue that year. A stunning individual by the legendary stallion Bettors Delight, Tall Dark Stranger hails from one of harness racing’s most prolific families. He is out of world champion and Dan Patch and O’Brien Award winning Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of theYear Precocious Beauty p,2,1:50.1 ($838,004), she a sister to successful pacing stallion Sportswriter and out of a sister to Swinging Beauty P,1:49.4 ($893,268) and the grandam of Downbytheseaside P,2,1:49, 3.1:48.3f ($2,179,558), whose eagerly-awaited first crop of yearlings will sell this fall.
“Russell and I are thrilled and honoured to have been given the chance to add such an illustrious pacing stallion to our roster. We believe he is the most accomplished pacer to enter the stallion ranks since Captaintreacherous," said Hanover Shoe Farms Executive Vice President Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky. "This will be our first partnership with Crawford Farms, Caviart Farms and Howard Taylor, which is exciting, and the third stallion we stand that Marvin Katz owns part of, Captaintreacherous and Bar Hopping being the two others. It is a pleasure to work with Marvin. He has vast knowledge of the breeding business and a terrific band of broodmares to support his stallions.” .
Trainer Nancy Takter calls Tall Dark Stranger “One of the best pacers we have seen. A champion at two and three. He’s done things that no horse has ever done. He’s a pleasure to train and knows that his job is to win.”
Driver Yannick Gingras says that Tall Dark Stranger is the best pacing colt he has ever driven. “He has all the tools needed for greatness. Speed, gait, and looks, but above all his desire to win races is truly unbelievable to me. He’s a champion in every sense of the word.”
Tall Dark Stranger will stand in Pennsylvania. His service fee and details concerning the syndication will be forthcoming.
(Hanover Shoe Farms)