by Dave Briggs / Ontario Racing
Ontario’s Thoroughbred stallion lineup for 2026 includes nine new stallions led by the heralded homecoming of Sergei Prokofiev (above), one of Europe’s most successful young sires.
Also new to Ontario this year is Yorkton, Frac Dancer, Inflation Nation (IRE), Mildmay’s Secret, Royal Spirit, Stitches, Tale of Silence and Tomcat Black. They are among 45 Thoroughbred stallions standing in Ontario this year as featured in the Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) 2026 Stallion Directory.
Multiple graded stakes winner Yorkton, a Chiefswood Stables homebred, will also return to Ontario. He will stand at Adena Springs North in Aurora for a fee of $5,000. The 11-year-old Ontario-bred son of Speightstown moves to Ontario from Crestwood Farm in Lexington, KY where he entered stud in 2021. From his first two crops of racing age, Yorkton has sired 14 winners. His combined progeny earnings are more than $1 million.
Yorkton has moved to Adena Springs North in Aurora, ON from Crestwood Farm in Lexington, KY for 2026.
Over at Colebrook Farms in Uxbridge, Nancy Wheatley said new stallion Royal Spirit, “is a Graded stakes-placed son of Into Mischief. He will stand for $4,000.”
Wheatley said Colebrook owner John Burness is, “thrilled” to have Tale of Silence standing in Ontario for the first time. Tale of Silence, standing for a fee of $2,500, began his stud career in 2023 at Darby Dan Farms in Lexington, KY. His first crop are 2-year-olds in 2026.
“Tale of Silence has an outstanding pedigree with Northern Dancer on top and Halo on the bottom; he is the only son of Tale of the Cat standing in Ontario,” Burness said.
Colebrook is also standing returning stallions Frac Daddy, Avie’s Flatter and Perfect Speighty in 2026.
Undefeated multiple stakes winner Frac Dancer is also new to the Ontario stallion ranks. He will stand at Amplify Stables in Loretto for a fee of $2,500. Amplify is also standing Signature Red and Town Prize.
As for the other new-to-Ontario stallions, Inflation Nation (IRE) will stand at Tara Horse Farm Inc. in Niagara-on-the-Lake for a fee of $1,000, Stitches is standing at Krasauskaite Racing Stable Inc. in King City for a fee of $3,000 and both Mildmay’s Secret and Tomcat Black are standing privately.
SERGEI PROKOFIEV BRINGING A SYMPHONY OF EXCITEMENT
But it’s Sergei Prokofiev that is drawing the most buzz. Bred by Anderson Farms in St. Thomas, ON, he was sold for $1.1 million to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. It was the first yearling Anderson Farms owner David Anderson has sold at auction for seven figures. Sergei Prokofiev raced in Europe for most of his career, winning three stakes in England and Ireland, including the Cornwallis Stakes (Grade 3). Sergei Prokofiev was also third in the Coventry Stakes (Grade 2) during Royal Ascot and fifth in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs. He began his stallion career at Whitsbury Manor Stud in the UK where he was the leading first- and second-crop sire in the UK and Europe in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
In December, Anderson arranged to purchase Sergei Prokofiev, syndicate him and bring him back to Ontario. Sergei Prokofiev is standing at Ballycroy Bloodstock in Loretto for a fee of $10,000.
In a story by Eric Mitchell in BloodHorse, Anderson said, “The Ontario government has shown a lot of support toward breeding and racing, so that was the catalyst for me to make this move with the stallion. I reached out to a few fellow breeders and the response was overwhelming.”
On Feb. 22, Ballycroy held an open house where it showed off Sergei Prokofiev and the farm’s three other stallions: Collusion Image, Gamble’s Exchange and Tamarkuz.
Back at Adena Spring North, the farm has six stallions standing for 2026. Apart from Yorkton, the farm is standing Mucho Macho Man, Point of Entry, Shaman Ghost, Silent Name (JPN) and Wayburn.
Over at T.C. Westmeath Stud Farm in Mulmur, owner John Carey is standing Azul Coast, Bond Street (IRE) and Harlocap.
Both Azul Coast and Harlocap were among the 10 stallions that began standing in Ontario in 2025.
Harlocap is the first son of Justify standing in Canada.
“It’s nice to be able to bring in a horse like Harlocap,” Carey said in 2025. “He has so much staying power on the top and bottom… What I like about him is his dam is a half-sister to a top-class stallion, Pioneerof the Nile, the sire of American Pharoah, etcetera.
“He’s got a real international pedigree, and, on top of all that, when he was prepping for his 2-year-old in training sales, he showed brilliant speed.”
Carey said Azul Coast gives breeders access to the first son of Super Saver standing in Canada.
“It’s somewhat new blood,” Carey said. “But what I liked about this horse is his broad-spectrum pedigree… It goes right back to Bold Ruckus on the bottom line. Bold Ruckus, I would have to say he was the best sprint sire that ever stood in Ontario. [Azul Coast] is out of a mare which earned half-a-million [dollars] and her top line is Sky Mesa, Pulpit, A.P. Indy. Then, on the bottom, before you get to Bold Ruckus, you have Smart Strike… What we have to prove now is Super Saver as a sire of sires.”
The only other Ontario farm standing more than two stallions is Select Stud Farm in King City. The farm is home to Fast Lane, Genesis One, Model S, Sir Dudley Digges and Speightstown Again.
