Walner is nothing short of phenomenal

Walner (Chapter Seven) was nothing short of a phenomenon over every harness racing venue he set hoof over during his career.

Now, he’s brought that same phenomenal talent to the breeding shed, and neither his trainer, Linda Toscano, nor David Reid, who put together the stallion syndicate for Walner, are surprised by his success.

“He was such a phenomenal athlete himself that it’s not surprising that he is passing his speed on to his babies,” Toscano said. “I wish the world could have seen what he was capable of on the racetrack, but ultimately, the industry needed him in this spot—breeding-wise—so desperately because we had backed ourselves in the corner regarding broodmares. And him being an outcross, I’m not surprised by his success as a sire, just thrilled. I think there’ll be a great number of Chapter Sevens who will excel as sires.”

WALNER WINNING BREEDERS CROWN REPLAY

Walner retired as world champion, with a Dan Patch Award winning 2-year-old season, and career earnings of $567,652 from nine wins in ten starts and a 3-year-old record of 1:50.2m. As a freshman, he captured New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) events at Vernon and Saratoga; the Kindergarten at The Meadowlands; the International Stallion Stakes at Lexington; and the Breeders Crown elim and Final at The Meadowlands. At three, he was the early favorite to win the Hambletonian, but a strain to the inside branch of his right front suspensory halted his career after he had won the Stanley Dancer Memorial and a sophomore open at The Big M in 1:50.2.

“He was simply brilliant at two,” said David Reid, president of Preferred Equine, who sold Walner as a yearling and later syndicated the horse for stallion duty. “The injury, that prevented him from going on at three, ended his career, and a lot of credit has to go to Linda Toscano to make that hard decision. Do you, as a trainer, push on with an injury that could hurt him further? The talent was obviously there, and the horse was managed perfectly during his racing career, but Linda (Toscano) did what was in the best interest of the horse.”

Toscano agrees.

“It was very difficult,” she admitted. “Rarely do you get a chance to have a horse that would compete in the Hambletonian, let alone one that would have been 1-9. And, it was such a minor injury, but it was an injury. He was such a great horse, and the injury was there, and we certainly did not want him to go out there and not be 100% and Ken (owner Jacobs) agreed it was the right thing to do not to race the horse.  At the end of the day, you’ve got to take care of the horse. Sure, it stung, but it was the right thing to do for him.”

Walner brought $90,000 as a yearling at the 2015 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, selling in the second session as Hip No. 163, in a year in which the average for Chapter Seven youngsters brought $55,000.

“I remember when I first saw him in the Spring of his yearling year, and he just looked different,” Reid offered. “He had a little more leg and was very athletic—he stood out, in my opinion.”

Walner is the second foal (2014) out of the Ken Warkentin 3, 1:52.3 ($902,355) mare Random Destiny 3, 1:54.1s ($658,314) and has half-brothers in Elmo Blatch (Andover Hall) 5, 1:53.3f ($152,917) and Malibu S (Muscle Hill) 2, 1:58.1f ($8,460). Bred by Overseas Farms, Ltd., he was foaled on April 12, 2014, in Campbellville, Ontario, and began his first season at stud in 2018. He has bred a full book of 140 mares annually, standing at Southwind Farms in New Jersey for a fee of $40,000.

“He’s an outcross, and so he’s able to breed a large cross section of mares and more importantly to Muscle Hill mares and that’s attributed to his success,” Reid stressed. “With his ability to breed to Cantab Hall and Donator Hanover mares as well, he really opened up the access to a lot of great bloodlines.”

To date Walner has sired 157 starters, with 108 in 2:00 or faster and 54 sub-1:55 trotters who have earned $15,518,062.  Last year he was the leading money-winning sire of 2- and 3-year-old trotters, and his yearlings averaged $121,000+, including 42 that sold for more than $100,000. As of this writing, he’s produced 39 trotters who have earned $100,000 or more, with 18 who have earned $200,000 or better.  He has three one-million-dollar earners to his credit and eight who have earned half a million or higher. Through 2022, he was the leading sire of 2- and 3-year-olds, as his progeny earned more than $14.3 million overall, and his daughter, Fashion Schooner 3, 1:50.1 ($719,237) famously captured last year’s Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

“There was a lot of interest outside the US regarding the horse, but we’re very happy that he remained state-side,” Reid stated. “When we syndicated Walner, we put together a great group of breeders, and that’s certainly a strong asset to have, as it provides a great pool of mares as well. Southwind Farms manages the horse day-to-day, and we work in unison with them as far as the syndicate goes. The big plus with this horse is that he has a great temperament; he’s very nice to be around; and is very classy. I’m not surprised by his success—his numbers speak for himself—both on the track and in the sales ring.”

Walner’s top progeny include: Venerable 2,1:52-’21 (1,187,339); King Of The North 3, 1:50.3s-‘22 ($1,171385); Jiggy Jog S 3, 1:50.0-‘22 ($1,122,718); Temporal Hanover 3, 1:52.2s-‘22 ($972,166); Fashion Schooner 3, 1:50.1-‘22 ($719,237); Special Way 2,1:52.0s-’22 ($692,775); Walner Payton 2, 1:52.2-‘22 ($574,900); Raised By Lindy 3, 1:51.1-‘22 ($655,494); and Misswalner Fashion 3, 1:52.2-’22 ($432,619), etc, to name just a handful.

“I’m such a proud mama, getting to watch those babies on the racetrack,” Toscano offered. “Tim (driver Tetrick) and I are probably the only people who know what this horse could really do—speed wise.  Ultimately, I’m always more about winning the race than I am about speed, but he was just so phenomenal, and trotted so fast with so little effort, that there’s no telling what he would have done in Lexington that year.”

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink