Lone Star Special (Malabar Gold-Sunshine Special) has moved to Dr. Robert Hewlett’s Holly Hill Farm in Benton, Louisiana for the 2021 breeding season. Benton Salmon has acquired 50% interest in the stallion who stood at Cherokee Ridge Farm in Carencro, Louisiana for the previous two seasons for Irwin Olian’s Tigertail Ranch. Tigertail Ranch has retained 50% ownership.

Mr. Salmon, a successful businessman with growing interest in the horse racing and breeding industry, is excited about his venture into stallion ownership and is planning on breeding a number of high quality mares to the stud.  “Lone Star Special has demonstrated remarkable success producing a number of high class runners from a very small number of foals. Notable among his offspring are Mobile Bay, Wheatfield and Trevilion. Lone Star Special has never had a fair chance and I intend to give him that. We are looking to gain the support he deserves from the Louisiana breeding community.”

Lone Star Special is an Unbridled line stallion who is among an elite number of stallions that moves his mare up. Only 32 % of all sires have a lifetime AEI higher than their mares CI. Lone Star Special has an AEI of 1.49 vs his mare’s CI of 1.11. His statistics of 57% winners, $56,228 average earnings per starter, 11% blacktype horses and 19% two-year-old winners, compete with leading national sires.

Lone Star Special is the sire of two Graded Stakes horses, both accredited Louisiana-breds.

G2 Super Derby winner Mobile Bay ran from ages three to six, hitting the board in 21 of 29 lifetime starts. He won eleven stakes, often showing speed in route races of 1 1/16 to 1 1/8 miles, including the G2 Super Derby, open company stakes such as the Sunland Park Handicap, the Maxxam Gold Cup and the Zia Park Derby, as well Louisiana Bred Stakes including the Louisiana Champions Day Classic at the Fair Grounds twice.  He placed in another five stakes including the G3 Oklahoma Derby. His Lifetime earnings of $1,246,440 rank him 4th among all-time Leading Accredited Louisiana Bred Runners. A multiple Accredited Louisiana Bred Champion, Mobile Bay was named 2015 3YO Colt or Gelding and Horse of the Year, 2016 Older Male and Horse of the Year, and 2017 Older Male.

Multiple stakes winner, Wheatfield ran 2nd in the ’17 G2 Inside Information Stakes at Gulfstream. She was named 2016 4YO & Up Louisiana Bred Champion Filly or Mare. She earned black type in 11 stakes events, many against open company, and currently has $394,603 in lifetime earnings.

“I am delighted that Benton Salmon is enthusiastic about the prospects for Lone Star Special and is now my partner in this outstanding stallion. He will be breeding a number of top quality mares to him this season. Together we are building a strong book of mares for 2021,” says Tigertail Ranch’s Irwin Olian. “At a fee of $2,000, he compares favorably to many stallions in Kentucky and Louisiana which stand for substantially higher fees. His ability to move up his mares puts him in very rare company among Louisiana sires and suggests there will be a lot more good things to come from him in the future”

Lone Star Special will stand the 2021 season for a fee of $2,000 live foal payable when foal stands and nurses. Inquiries should go directly to Benton Salmon 903-930-0970, email: bentonsalmon@yahoo.com