Adena Springs South's Milwaukee Brew (SRO) is fast becoming the star of the Sunshine State's stallion line-up. And what's not to like? He showed some longevity with a career that spanned ages 3 to 6 and back-to-back Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) scores. He's got a five-cross pedigree that is distinctly American but void of Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, and Bold Ruler. It might seem that his 9-furlong average winning distance and lack of a juvenile campaign would be an odd fit for run-'em-young Florida, but it's hard to argue with results -- and Milwaukee Brew's 40% juvenile starters (a number that likely will rise to 50% over the next four months) is plenty impressive.
Ranked #64 on the general sires list right now, Milwaukee Brew is behind only Montbrook in Florida (and is within a good stakes win of him). He finished 2008 as the #4 second-crop sire and is in the same position as a 2009 third-crop sire as of this writing. Significantly, he's the only American horse in the top 10 that does not stand in Kentucky.
Milwaukee Brew needs to play catch-up on black type winners -- his 3.7% for his first two crops doesn't overwhelm -- but when he hits, he hits pretty big. Peach Brew from his second crop is a graded winner this year. And he claims not one but two Woodbine Oaks winners.
Ginger Brew, who's set to surpass $1 million in earnings later this year, won the nine-furlong Oaks at Canada's premier track last year in a romp. She continued her sophomore campaign with a second in the Queen's Plate and took another Woodbine stakes to close out her 3-year-old season and clinch a Canadian championship.
Milwaukee Brew was represented this year by Milwaukee Appeal (profile), and the result was another daylight win in the Canadian classic. Milwaukee Appeal impressed over the weekend with a second -- albeit far behind Careless Jewel -- in the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) and while she has a bit more of a gap, she too is looking at the $1 million earnings mark.
It's fitting for Milwaukee Brew to sire top Canadian runners. His own first stakes win -- in the 2000 Marine Stakes (gr. III) -- came at Woodbine. And Milwaukee Brew represents the Icecapade branch of Canada's Nearctic sire line that is better known through Northern Dancer. Both Northern Dancer and Icecapade, of course, were products of the E.P. Taylor / Windfields Farm breeding operation, and sadly in 2009 we bid adieu to Windfields. So Milwaukee Brew, who was bred in Kentucky and stands in Florida, has links to Windfields and to Canada both past and future... he will serve as one small part of Windfields' longterm legacy to Thoroughbred racing.
