Australia's Pepper Tree Farm today announced that Rock N Roll Heaven, one of this season's top three-year-old pacers, will stand stud at its farm for the Southern
Hemisphere's 2011 breeding season.
“I would like to sincerely thank owners, Mr. Frank Bellino and his son, Joe, for entrusting the Southern Hemisphere career of Rock N Roll Heaven to Pepper Tree Farm,” said Pepper Tree Farm principal, Rob Vandyke.
“Meeting them, I understand their great attachment to and respect for their horse and value the confidence they have placed in Pepper Tree Farm to look after Rock N Roll Heaven in his Southern Hemisphere stud career. I would also like to thank Bob Boni of Northwood Bloodstock for his assistance in these negotiations.”
Rock N Roll Heaven is by Rocknroll Hanover and is out of the Artsplace mare Artistic Vision p,4, 1:50.4 $644,808.
Having always hit the board in his rookie season, Rock N Roll Heaven started his racing career in stellar fashion. He won the New Jersey Sires Stakes final, Bluegrass Series and a Governors Cup elim (and finished second in the final). He was second in the Metro Pace to Sportswriter and was Rocknroll Hanover’s leading freshman stakes earner. In addition, he set a World Record for two-year-old pacing colts on a five-eighths mile track.
He is currently the leading three-year-old colt in North America on both record and earnings with $1,549,261 in stakes and a sizzling 1:47.3 record. His wins to date in this season include the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine, $220,000 Berry's Creek and $200,000 New Jersey Sires Stakes final as well as eliminations of the Meadowlands Pace (he finished second in final) and North America Cup (fourth in final).
His next assignment is the Little Brown Jug on September 23.
“Rock N Roll Heaven is truly world class and fits in very well with Pepper Tree Farm’s existing sires in terms of offering breeders a choice of the most dominant modern breeding lines. He will be an ideal sire to cross with the Artsplace sire line broodmares,” said Vandyke
“With the recent breeding incentives brought in by Harness Racing New South Wales and the impending sale of Harold Park, New South Wales is set to be boosted to the leading state of harness racing in Australia. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the HRNSW Board and the NSW Harness Racing Club for their forward thinking decisions which in turn gives us the confidence to invest in bringing world class sires to stand here."
(With files from Pepper Tree Farm)