Concord Stud Farm’s Lexington roster bigger and better than ever

by James Platz

Concord Stud Farm is known for bringing a sizable consignment to the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale with plenty of options for all buyers. This year, the Cream Ridge, NJ nursery has a bumper crop of yearlings. After selling 33 babies last year, Julie Meirs and her team have cataloged 48 young pacers and trotters.

“We’re in barn 15 this year, and we’ve got the whole barn,” Meirs said. “We’ve got a good split between trotters and pacers this year, and a wide range of sires as well.”

The growth of the consignment can be attributed to picking up new clients and the addition of 10 Fair Winds Farm yearlings to bolster the roster.

“We’re selling the Fair Winds yearlings this year for their last hurrah,” Meirs said. “Because this is their last group, that brings a lot of good horses to the consignment, but it also brings a new client for just one year. And it’s not just Fair Winds. We’ve got a couple other newbies, new clients as well.”

Looking at the roster by gender and gait, Concord offers 26 colts and 22 fillies, with 27 trotters cataloged versus 21 pacers. When Meirs says the group covers a wide range of sires, she’s not kidding. A total of 19 different sires are represented, with five apiece by Chapter Seven, Muscle Hill, Sweet Lou, and Captaintreacherous.

Walner, Tactical Landing, and first crop sire Tactical Approach each contribute four yearlings to the group, with three sired by Downbytheseaside cataloged. A pair from both Confederate and Tattoo Artist will sell, as will singles from Gimpanzee, Papi Rob Hanover, Bulldog Hanover, Father Patrick, In Range, Pebble Beach, Long Tom, Volstead, and Monte Miki.

Of the group, 13 yearlings — nearly one-third of the consignment — will sell Monday at Fasig-Tipton’s Newtown Paddocks. By comparison, Concord sold five on the first day in 2025.

“You can’t really be upset with anything that they put on Day 1 of Lexington because it’s such a limited group of horses,” Meirs said. “I think that’s something to be excited about.”

Five of the 13 agent yearlings from Order By Stable will be offered Monday. Leading the group is Monkey Crown, Hip #98, a New Jersey and Kentucky eligible Walner colt out of the highly-productive mare Steamy Windows. The colt is a half-brother to multiple Dan Patch Award winner and Hall of Famer Gimpanzee.

The first night Order By offerings also include Black Square, Hip #18, a dual-eligible Muscle Hill half-brother to millionaire Back Of The Neck. Also cataloged is Hip #43 Crown Legacy, a dual-eligible Tactical Landing filly that is a sister to five-time freshman winner Gagosian and Hip #83 Flag Target, a dual-eligible Walner half-brother to the great trotting mare Atlanta.

Fair Winds Farm yearlings account for four of Concord’s Monday offerings. That group includes Blue Book, Hip #14, a Chapter Seven full-sister to graded stakes-placed Who’s Eyes Blues. A pair of Confederate colts also highlight the Fair Winds quartet. Hip #40 Pass Go is the first foal from half-million-dollar earner Gotthegreenlight, while Hip #58 Jeb Stuart is a half-brother to $300,000 earner Knoxville. Dam Let’s Fall In Love is a sister to millionaire and top producer Romantic Moment.

Concord will back up Monday’s session with 16 yearlings on Tuesday, 11 on Wednesday and eight selling in Thursday’s closing session.

“I think it’s important that we have something for everybody,” Meirs said. “You know, every trainer, every state, every gate, every gender. And it’s important that we’re not just pigeonholed into one thing.”

The Tuesday roster is filled with several well-pedigreed yearlings from top sires. Among the group is colt Thurbo Field, Hip #145, a Pennsylvania and Kentucky eligible Papi Rob Hanover that’s a first foal from a full-sister to two-time Dan Patch Award winner Warrawee Ubeaut. The list also includes Toulouse Le Chimp, Hip #153, a Gimpanzee first foal from a Tactical Landing sister to world champion Cuatro De Julio.

Hip #179 Steel Cloud, is a New Jersey and Kentucky eligible Muscle Hill colt that is a full-brother to six-figure earners Kings Country ($523,066), Swiss House Onfire ($372,480), Hidalgo ($357,718), and Brooklyn Hill ($261,561). Hip #200 Street Sweeper is a dual-eligible Tactical Landing brother to graded stakes winner and dual millionaire Periculum.

Market Research, Hip #272, is another of several first foals in the consignment. The Tactical Landing colt is from Lady Lira, a half-sister to Dan Patch Award winner Anoka Hanover. Gideon’s Sword, Hip 317, is a Tactical Approach first foal from a sister to Dan Patch Award winner and world champion Amigo Volo.

Hip #383 Odds On Tapioca, the last of Concord’s Tuesday set, is a dual-eligible Captaintreacherous filly that is a sister to Breeders Crown champion Gem Quality (p, 4, 1:48.4f $798,187).

Concord’s Wednesday selection continues the trend of offering several options to buyers. Included in the group are Odds On Infamous, Hip #520, a New Jersey and Kentucky eligible Tattoo Artist filly from Dan Patch and O’Brien Award winner Idyllic Beach, and Bulldog In The Rain, Hip #533, a dual-eligible Bulldog Hanover filly from a sister to the great racehorse and broodmare Kikikatie.

Another notable filly in the session is Hip #609 Shake N Quake. By Captaintreacherous, she is a sibling to multiple stakes winner Split The House ($938,289).

Concord will have a more robust offering in Thursday’s session, geared toward regional programs.

“We’ve got more on Thursday than we’ve ever had with the regional group,” Meirs said. “Jonas Schlabach, who sells with us in Harrisburg, put in five. He wanted to participate in the regional night with those five, so that bumps that Thursday number up a little bit.”

Schlabach’s quintet includes Bintheredidthatone, Hip #750, a Downbytheseaside colt out of a mare that has already produced four winners.

Last year, Concord horses grossed $2.3 million in sales at Lexington, and the farm topped out at nearly $2.68 million in 2024. The expanded roster and top-caliber yearlings give the consignor a good shot at establishing a new standard.