top of page

Chateau Vista Farm's Reference Sires

Warmblood breeding worldwide...

Chateau Vista Farm, LLC basis the foundation of its breeding program using some of the best sires in the world. Below is a collection of some of the reference sires and dams the farm has used or is currently being used in the program. Chateau Vista Farm utilizes a mixture of traditional, modern, and blood-type stallions and mares depending on the goals and hopeful outcomes for each foal's development and future in sport, aiming to produce the highest quality of stock possible.

 

Firing Line

Firing  Line

Line of David X Hold For Gold X Conquistador Cielo
2012-Present

 Sire of our mare CVL Sunshine Line who is currently a part of our Chateau Vista Show Jumpers Program

Firing Line...

        Firing Line is a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, a breeding organization founded by Eamon Cleary and later headed by Cleary's sons Eamonn and Bernard. He is from the first crop of foals sired by Line of David, the winner of the 2010 Arkansas Derby. Firing Line's dam, Sister Girl Blues never won a major race but finished second to Azeri in the 2003 Vanity Handicap. She was bought for $25,000 by Clearsky in January 2011.

         Firing Line was sold three times before he appeared on a racetrack. As a foal in November 2012 he was consigned by Paramount Sales to the Keeneland Association sale and bought for $65,000 by GMEN Racing. In July 2014, the yearling was sent to the Fasig-Tipton sale and fetched $150,000, with Bradley Thoroughbreds being the winning bidder. As a two-year-old in training, Firing Line was offered for sale at Keeneland in April 2014. On this occasion the bidding reached $240,000 before he was sold to the bloodstock agent Ben McElroy. The colt entered the ownership of Arnold Zetcher and has been trained throughout his career by the British-born Simon Callaghan.

          Firing Line began his racing career in a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Park on October 25, 2014. Ridden by Mike Smith, he started favorite but despite finishing strongly he was beaten half a length by Alright Alright. Five weeks later he started 1/2 odds on favorite for a similar event at Del Mar and won by more than four lengths after taking the lead a furlong from the finish. On his final appearance of the year, Firing Line was moved up sharply in class to contest the Grade I Los Alamitos Futurity on December 20. After racing in second place he overtook Mr Z to gain the advantage in the straight but was caught in the final strides and beaten a head by the favored Dortmund.

          On his three-year-old debut, Firing Line, ridden by Gary Stevens, contested the Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on February 7 in which he received five pounds from Dortmund. Firing Line overtook Dortmund on the final turn but was headed again by his rival in the closing stages and beaten a head. After the race, Stevens admitted that he may have made his move too soon. On March 22, Firing Line ran in the Grade III Sunland Derby against six opponents and started 1/5 favorite despite an unfavorable inside draw. He disputed the lead from the start and drew away in the closing stages to win by more than fourteen lengths from Where's The Moon. Callaghan said that the colt "really ran the race he hoped he would... you can't ask more than that" whilst Stevens praised the winner's attitude saying "he probably handled things a lot better than I did. He makes easy work of it and the best thing he's got going for him is his mind".

            Firing Line before the running of the Preakness Stakes. On May 2, Firing Line contested the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and started 9.5/1 fourth choice in the betting behind American Pharoah, Dortmund and the Blue Grass Stakes winner Carpe Diem. Ridden by Stevens, he tracked Dortmund before moving past his rival to take the lead on the final turn. He looked likely to win before being overtaken inside the final furlong by American Pharoah and finished second, a length behind the winner and two lengths ahead of Dortmund in third. After the race Callaghan said "I'm very proud of how well my horse ran. Gary rode a great race, he had him in the right spot. We just got beat. We tried all the way". Stevens attributed the loss to the colt's failure to change leads in the homestretch. Former jockey and racing commentator Richard Migliore theorized that the "wall of noise" from the Derby crowd unnerved the horse and distracted him from his rider's commands.

           Two weeks later, Firing Line met American Pharoah and Dortmund again in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. He started the 3-1 second favorite to the Derby winner on a sloppy track after the course was hit by heavy rain and a thunderstorm. He stumbled exiting the starting gate and never contended, finishing seventh of the eight runners, more than forty lengths behind the winner, American Pharoah. Callaghan commented "he stumbled badly. That took his momentum, and he never really got hold of the track. Nothing went right with all that rain coming." Fellow rival Dortmund also had difficulties in the slop and finished fourth

Mannhattan

Mannhattan

LiFinesse X Wendepunkt X Hill Hawk
1991-2023

 Sire of the 2024 colt CVL Mahalo d'Avalon a custom foal for Chateau Vista Farm, LLC out of the reference dam Caprica d'Avalon.

Mannhattan...

        Mannhattan is truly the WHOLE package when breeders consider what they want in an Oldenburg stallion. He won the jumping portion of his 100 Day Stallion performance test with a score of 128.53. He went on to perform to Level 8 in the jumpers until a pasture injury ended his competition career. He has multiple offspring competing at the upper levels, including three at FEI level in Dressage, as of last year. 

        Possessing a pedigree that reads like the "Who's Who in Sport Horse Breeding", Mannhattan is the culmination of some of the very best in Warmblood Breeding. With Such renowned sires as Furioso II, Wendekreis, Vollkorn, Absatz, Hill Hawk, and Ferdinand in his pedigree, he was bred to excell in the performance arena. 
        Being an extremely well bred and talented warmblood stallion, Mannhattan earned respectable 100 day test scores including a 9 for general jumping ability, free jumping, canter and the X-Country portion of the testing, and 8's for his character and jumping under saddle. He finished by winning the jumping portion of the testing with a score of 128.53, and an overall score of 102.29 points.
         Mannhattan has produced the highest number of site champions with the ISR/Oldenburg N.A. for 2009 and 2010.  He is well known for producing athletic, competitive and talented offspring with amateur friendly minds.  He has offspring that have competed successfully in all disciplines, including the fully licensed son, Morocco (Mannhattan x Pink Agate xx), as well as two offspring currently competing at FEI level in Dressage - Maude RF and Megabucks.

       There are at least three fully licensed sons out of Mannhattan daughters - Edward Scissorhands (Escudo II x Morticia/Mannhattan), Dracula d'Avalon (Davidor x Morticia/Mannhattan) and Belafonte d'Avalon (Hilkens Black Delight x Mata Hari/Mannhattan).

       Mannhattan went on to compete successfully through Level 8 in the Jumpers before a pasture accident finished his performance career.  He is also one of a handful of domestically born and bred warmblood stallions to produce a fully licensed son - Morocco - who was licensed through performance by competing through Grand Prix in Dressage.  In 2013, Mannhattan had no fewer than three offspring competing at FEI in Dressage!
       Mannhattan was the first North American born and bred warmblood stallion approved by the Belgium Warmblood Breeding Association, NA and the first such stallion to have fulfilled his performance requirements in this country.
       Mannhattan is approved with several warmblood registries and is currently activated with the German Oldenburg Verband, Westfalen and Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International

Candola D

Candola D

Caruso X Corisco X Capitol I
2005-Present

 Currently being utilized in our breeding program for a 2025 foal.

Candola D...

        Candola an imported, licensed Holsteiner that was appreciated at the stallion selection for his fine conformation, his presence and good movements. Especially his superb canter, in which the stallion showed extreme balance, had a very powerful jump and used his hind very well. In his 70 day’s test in Munster Handorf, Candola showed his quality with a third place in class 1, with high notes for jumping and character. Competing up to 1.40 in Germany before his importation, he has gone on to compete in North America up to 1.30.  His pedigree reads like the who's who in show jumping!  Just about every sire in his pedigree competed up to 1.60 and many of the dam line have also had exemplary jumping careers.
        Sire of the 2008 licensed Candola,  is the world famous stallion Caruso.  Caruso displayed his fantastic qualities, for example in the German Championships for young horses in Warendorf, where he earned a splendid third place in the finals of the six-years-olds under Ulrich Kirchhoff in 2002. Caruso belongs to the most promising sporthorses of his generation. He has many placings in 1.50 and 1.60 classes and is kwalified for the Olympics in Quatar and Lummen. Caruso was at the Olympics as a team
 member for Saudi Arabia.
        With his superb temperament, outstanding jumping ability and form, and can do attitude, Candola D will make an exceptional cross for North American breeders.

Pax Asgard Af Pegasus

Pax Asgard  Af  Pegasus

Pegasus Vom Niehaus X Ambrosius Af
Asgard X Java Gold xx

2016-Present

 Currently being utilized in our breeding program for a 2025 foal.

Pax Asgard Af Pegasus...

        Pax Asgard Af Pegasus aka Pax is quickly becoming one of the most prolific sires of high quality Knabstrupper offspring in North America. With his athletic versatility, he is ridden dressage as well as driven in harness. Pax has recently begun jumper training and is proving to have wonderful form and easily clears 1. 20m.
        Pax's sire, Pegasus Vom Niehaus-Hof, is a licensed KNN 1st Premium Stallion that was imported from Germany in 2006. In 2004, he was awarded the Verbandspremium stallion title by ZfDP. Pax’s dam, Firefly de Bec, is by Ambrosius af Asgard (aka Atlantis). Atlantis was imported from Germany and sired several exceptional offspring. Atlantis had a wonderful temperament and scored a perfect 10 for temperament during his licensing. Pax is 75% purebred Knabstrupper in the 3rd generation. Pax’s offspring are eligible for Main Book Knabstrupper registration.
        In 2021, Pax competed in the Get of Sire class at the prestigious Dressage at Devon earning a Bronze with a collective mark of 77.15 points and ended up third overall, scoring higher than the popular KWPN sire Sir Sinclair and the 7-year-old Oldenburg stallion Davos CF winning over several traditional Warmblood stallions. 
        Pax is unique to the North American Knabstrupper breeding pool. Pax is a homozygous fewspot, meaning Pax is homozygous for LP and PATN1 (LP/LP, PATN1/PATN1). Pax offers mare owners the unique ability to genetically produce a leopard offspring when bred to a solid-colored mare.

Leelanau

Leelanau

Carson City xx X Kris S. xx X Hold Your
Peace xx

1999-Present

 Sire of our current mare CVL Dewshine who is currently a part of our Chateau Vista Show Jumpers program.

Leelanau...

        Leelanau is a 1999 horse that was born in 1999. He was sired by Carson City out of the Kris S. mare Kris's Intention. Graded stakes winner Leelanau has arrived at John T.L. Jones Jr.'s Walmac International near Lexington. Leelanau set a track-record of 1:03.11 for 5 1/2 furlongs in winning last year's Kentucky Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs in his second start. Leelanau tracked a fast pace and then accelerated through the stretch to win Monday's $162,600 Kentucky Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III) by 4 1/2 lengths in track-record time at Churchill Downs. With the win, Leelanau became the second stakes-winning, track-record setter from Carson City's current crop of 2-year-olds, joining Three Chimneys Juvenile Stakes winner City Street. Iron Horse Racing's Leelanau remained undefeated while stretching out from a 1 1/2-length win over Handsome Hunk in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden race earlier this month at Churchill. The Steven Morguelan trainee earned $100,812 for the win. "It's nice to see him rate like this," said Morguelan. "When 2-year-old winners start to congregate not all the horses can run on the lead like they're used to doing. It just takes racing to find out what they're going to be like. Time will tell. We'll probably put him in the Bashford Manor as long as he comes out of this race all right." Leelanau returned $5.40, $3.60, and $3.40. Leelanau is out of the Kris S. mare Kris's Intention and was bred in Kentucky by Kidder, Griggs, and Mamakos.

Leelanau, a 3-year-old son of Carson City out of the Kris S. mare Kris's Intention, retires with two wins from three starts and earnings of $130,827. His fee is $2,500 live foal. He has stood at the following farms: Leelanau, a Churchill Downs' track-record setter, has been acquired by Jack Barr for stallion duty at Wally and Janet Hartwig's Tower Farm near Somonauk, Ill, Leelanau, a graded stakes winner by Carson City, will stand at Linda Wood's Menoken Farms near Montrose, Colo., When 2-year-old colts win stakes, do so in good times, and most importantly are owned by persons who aren't in the breeding end of the game, you can be sure farms that stand stallions are lining up to make offers. Several offers were made to purchase an interest in track record setter Leelanau, with Johnny Jones of Walmac International near Lexington buying a one-third interest and having an option to purchase another third.

Graded stakes winner Leelanau sired his first winner when his daughter Fortyfifthparallel won June 22 at Churchill Downs as a homebred for Iron Horse Racing. The Kentucky-bred filly ran the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:06.42. She is out of the winning Wolf Power mare Simple Wish.

Here is some general Info on Leelanau:  Breeder: Kidder, Griggs, and Mamakos, State Bred: KY, Winnings: 3 Starts: 2 - 0 - 1, $130,827, At 2: Won Kentucky Breeders' Cup (G3), Foaled March 12, 1999, 2001 NTR Churchill Downs 5.5f 1:03.11
111 lbs-Experimental Free Handicap. 
For 2009,Stands at Still Creek Farm, Brookville, IN. Previously stood at Tower Farms, Somonauk, Illinois. First crop raced in 2006. Previously stood at Walmac Int. Lexington KY

More reference sires information coming soon.

Check back for more updates.

bottom of page