ANCHOR DOWN, a graded stakes-winning son of dominant North American sire TAPIT, will be relocated to Iowa State University for the 2022 breeding season, Gainesway Farm announced Dec. 29. Winner of the 2016 Westchester Stakes (G3) and Kelso Handicap (G2), and second-best in the Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap (G1) during his 5-year-old campaign, he accumulated earnings of $734,254.
“The Iowa program found this son of TAPIT to be appealing, giving him a big gold star,” said Nikki Ferwerda of Iowa State University. “He also has some speed and is more the miler type; the University certainly and our local breeders have a lot of interest in dirt and the miler type horses, in which he fits the bill. For the program here, he will bring traditional quality, different bloodlines, and options for our breeders compared to what we have recently had in the state.”
ANCHOR DOWN possesses a desirable stallion’s pedigree. He is out of the graded stakes winning Orientate mare Successful Outlook, making him a full brother to grade 3 winner and millionaire Iron Fist and a half brother to grade 1 victress Sweet Lulu.
After beginning his stud career at Gainesway in 2017 for a fee of $10,000, ANCHOR DOWN has produced 78 foals, 46 of which have started, with 22 achieving wins. His current performers are on the cusp of attaining black-type success, with Tesoro recently second in the Zia Park Derby going 1 1/16 miles and third in this season’s Bull Dog Stakes at 1 1/8 miles. Tesoro was sourced from the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sales’ Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training by trainer O. J. Jauregui for $75,000 from the Blue River Bloodstock consignment.
His chief earner to date comes from his initial crop in 2018, Sea to Success ; the gelding has bankrolled $109,300 in 10 starts with a 4-1-1 record.
ANCHOR DOWN stood the 2021 season at Gainesway for an advertised $5,000 fee. He will stand for an advertised $3,000 live foal, stands and nurses, at Iowa State University in 2022.
“We stand Stroll , a son of Pulpit, so there is some relation there,” Ferwerda said. “Stroll is coming up to 22-years-old and is in his twilight breeding years. We see Anchor Down coming in as a nice follow-up to Stroll for the future.”
Other stallions at the University are Timeline , by Hard Spun , and Blueblood , by City Zip , both of which were freshman sires for 2020 and new to Iowa State. In 2022 Iowa State will continue to have four options for breeders, with ANCHOR DOWN being the banner sire.
Click here to view Iowa State University’s Stallion Roster
“As an instructor and farm manager at Iowa State, which is set up as a teaching farm, its sole purpose is to help and teach students. The industry needs new people, and that is part of my drive and outlook behind being with the industry and how I am giving back,” Ferwerda said.
“Very few students grow up on big farms or breeding farms, so we want to get some of these experiences to our students with the breeding, foaling, and sales—hoping to get the students to be more marketable and employable when they graduate.”