By Jessica Martini
Pittsburgh-based businessman Jeff Prunzik and his wife Melissa used to pass through Lexington while making the trip to visit family in Mississippi, but the couple can now call the town home after purchasing the 195-acre Stone Bridge Farm last month. Still brand new to racing, the couple will present Stone Bridge Farm's first-ever consignment at next week's Fasig-Tipton October Fall Yearlings Sale.
“The Prunziks always wanted to have a nice farm to live on and to raise their kids on,” explained Stone Bridge General Manager Mike Heitzmann. “This is the halfway point between here and Melissa's mother in Mississippi and they would stop in Lexington when they were traveling from Pittsburgh to Mississippi. They loved the scenery and they loved the horse farms and they loved horses. So they thought it was a good idea to invest into a farm and see how it goes.”
Stone Bridge was a division of the Courtney family's Crestfield Farm operation and the champions Meadow Star and Action This Day were foaled and raised on the property.
Heitzmann, who served as stallion manager at Vinery for over a decade, met the Prunziks through a mutual friend and said the couple will initially take small steps into the business.
“We are going to have a boarding operation mainly,” he said. “They are going to buy a few weanlings in November and pinhook them over to yearlings and maybe buy a mare or two. But they won't be racing yet. Hopefully, down the road sometime, they will be. But not just yet. I just don't want them to dive in head first. I want them to get their feet wet first a little bit before they dive in. I have seen a lot of people in the past who go in right away and don't last long in the business.”
Stone Bridge has catalogued seven yearlings to the Fasig-Tipton October sale. The group includes a colt by Horse Greeley out of My Curlina (Belong to Me) (hip 1434) that Heitzmann is particularly high on.
“We've got a nice group of yearlings,” the New Orleans native said. “I have some really nice colts. I think the one by Horse Greeley will probably be in the top five physicals in the sale. Unfortunately he's about 30 from the end, so hopefully that doesn't hurt him.”
Plans are for Stone Bridge to continue to grow its sales consignments going forward.
“We are going to try to branch out a little and sell for other owners and try to have a bigger consignment,” Heitzmann said. “We'll probably sell more at the yearling sales than with the mares, but we'll see how it goes. That's down the road. That's something we're looking forward to.”
Heitzmann started out in racing walking hots for his trainer father Roger and, in addition to his time at Vinery, has served stints as a racing official, jockey agent and breeder. He is clearly enjoying his newest challenge.
“[The Prunziks] are new people in the business and they are a very nice couple,” he said. “This is something I always wanted to do–to start off with somebody new. So I thought this was a great opportunity.”
The October sale marks the end of what has been a very strong series of yearling sales across the country this summer and fall.
“I have a lot of confidence going into the sale,” Heitzmann said. “In years past, it seems like the yearling market goes as the stock market goes. The stock market has been doing really great right now and it shows with the sales. All the sales this year have done very well. I think a lot of people haven't filled out their tickets for yearlings yet, so I think it's going to be a very good sale. Fasig-Tipton always puts on a good sale.”
The Fasig-Tipton October sale begins Monday at Newtown Paddocks and continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.
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