Citing an “effort to rationalize costs in these difficult economic times while continuing to serve Maryland and mid-Atlantic breeders with high quality stallions”, the Maryland Stallion Station announced Dec. 24 it will partner with Bonita Farm and Shamrock Farms for future operations.

For the 2009 breeding season, second leading mid-Atlantic sire Outflanker and three  freshman sires: Fantasticat, Gators N Bears, and St .Averil will stand at the Boniface family’s Bonita Farm in Darlington, Maryland. Third Crop sires Rock Slide and Seeking Daylight and younger stallions, former Maryland champion and millionaire Cherokees Boy and Greek Sun, will reside at Shamrock Farm in Woodbine, Maryland.

Maryland Stallion Station president Don Litz will continue to oversee the marketing and booking of the stallions for both farms and the original investor base remains intact.

“Given the current climate in the industry and the general economy, we felt that the most practical business decision was to reduce our operating overhead and team up with top notch operations to preserve the upside we believe exists with our stallion roster for breeders and our investors,” said  Litz. “ We are grateful for the support of our growing breeder client base and look forward to continuing to serve them well through Bonita and Shamrock. We are excited to have the opportunity to potentially add as clients many of their long standing relationships.  While it’s unfortunate to leave our facility and location in the Worthington Valley, we look forward to working closely with the Boniface’s and Steele’s to build on the momentum that Maryland Stallion Station has in the regional market.  At the appropriate time we plan to consider the acquisition of new stallions and to work closely with our many partners in the industry to identify and pursue top prospects.    We feel that we have had a major impact in the region during our first five years and hope to grow that impact as our three freshman sires of 2009’s progeny hit the track