Grade I winner Lea (First Samurai–Greenery, by Galileo {Ire}), a graded stakes winner on turf and dirt, will take up stud duties at Claiborne Farm in 2016. Bred and raced by Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider, the 6-year-old won the 2014 GI Donn H., as well as the 2012 GIII Commonwealth Turf S. and 2015 GIII Hal's Hope S. He was third in this year's G1 Dubai World Cup and returned to the U.S. to miss by just a neck when second in the GI Stephen Foster H. He was most recently second in the GI Woodbine Mile and is expected to conclude his racing career in either the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile or GI Breeders' Cup Mile.
“Lea has a great disposition, and he's one of the coolest horses we've ever had in the barn,” said Hall-of-Fame trainer Bill Mott. “He's very effective on both surfaces. He's fast enough to be top class at a mile, and he's shown he can run with the best at nine to 10 furlongs. He's an exciting horse to be around.”
On the board in 15 of 18 starts to date, Lea has won seven races and earned $2,182,398.
While Lea's stud fee will not be announced until after the Breeders' Cup, Claiborne Farm did release the 2016 stud fees of its others stallions Monday. War Front, who has been represented this term by leading European juvenile Air Force Blue, will stand for $200,000 next season. The 13-year-old stallion stood for $150,000 in 2015.
Other Claiborne 2016 stud fees: Algorithim, $5,000; Arch, $40,000; Blame, $25,000; Data Link, $7,500; First Samurai, $15,000; Flatter, $30,000; Orb, $25,000; Stroll, $5,000; and Trappe Shot, $10,000.
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