After 30 years in business together, Preferred Equine will handle today’s emotional dispersal of White Birch Farms’ exquisite broodmare band.

by Dave Briggs

After three decades of doing business together, David Reid said the dispersal of White Birch Farms’ exquisite broodmare band, during today’s opening session of Standardbred Horse Sales Company’s mixed sale, is as bittersweet as it gets.

Reid’s Preferred Equine Marketing will sell 30 stellar White Birch broodmares — 23 in-foal and seven not — including the dams of Captaintreacherous, Bee A Magician, Stay Hungry, Darlinonthebeach and many more.

“I’d rather not have dispersals. White Birch has been a client of ours for over 30 years, really established by (Preferred’s) Geoff Stein and (White Birch founder) Joe Parisi. With Geoff’s passing and Joe’s passing and, even going back to Joe, it used to be Joe and Marie Parisi… Marie was a lovely lady and when she passed, I think it affected the whole family, obviously. Then Joe, Sr. and, unfortunately, Michael Parisi died. It’s been three-and-a-half years (since Michael died). And then (farm manager) Steve Williams (died)… it’s very bittersweet.”

That said, it presents a tremendous opportunity for breeders interested in top-notch stock.

“Their offerings, they speak for themselves,” Reid said. “There are seven millionaires in the group themselves, individually, there are Horses of the Year, Pacers of the Year. They bred Captaintreacherous. They bred Bee A Magician and numerous, numerous horses. I wish we weren’t selling them, but it’s for the Estate of Michael Parisi and the estate has to be dissolved and things are moving forward.

“It goes on somewhere else. There’s no doubt, with the quality of their horses, that they are going to continue on for some other major breeders and you’ll see two or three years down the road, these mares that are being sold, their offspring are going to be selling very well for someone else.”

Reid said White Birch sold 15 yearlings at Lexington, “and I think they averaged $130,000. It’s a well-established nursery. You know, Darlinonthebeach, she went toe-to-toe with Pure Country. (She’s) in foal to Always B Miki, who’s first crop has been very well-received. She’s young. Unfortunately, you just can’t get those type of horses unless it’s a dispersal.”