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Park Stud

Owner / Manager
Michael Byrne
Phone: 
(519) 941-3944
Fax: 
(519) 941-8311
Address: 
893112 6th Line Mono
Orangeville, ON L9W 2Z2
Canada
About Us: 

Park House Stud is the name of the Byrne family's farm in Tullow, County Carlow, Ireland. Eddie Byrne's second son Michael was was offered a job opportunity in Canada on the day Nijinsky won the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh in 1969. At that time twenty year-old Michael was presented an opportunity to manage a farm in Sarnia, Ontario and left for Canada on January 6th, 1970.

For ten years Michael served as General Manager for the leading Canadian racing and breeding operation, Gardiner Farms. In 1981 Michael met Warner Jones at the Kentucky Derby. Warner tried to hire him and would not take no for an answer. Michael was keen to establish his own farm however a connection with Jones was cemented for future business.

In 1982 Michael and Laurel purchased one-hundred acres in Orangeville, Ontario thus founding Park Stud. First stallions included Bold Ruckus, Brave Shot and Always Run Lucky. soon to follow were Tralos, Shotiche, Geiger Counter, Bold N’ Flashy, Kiridashi, Perigree Moon, Tomahawk, Survivalist, Vibank, Best of the Bests, Mr. Sekiguchi and now Breeders' Cup Mile winner Court Vision, dual champion Marchfield, and G1 winner Victor's Cry.

To date Park Stud have bred one-hundred and sixty-five winners and twenty-two Stakes winners with total earnings of over $15,000,000. This reflects a tremendous achievement since the foundation of Park Stud was made by Michael and Laurel Byrne twenty-five years ago. Michael was quick to make an impact on Canadian Racing and Breeding. He was appointed as the youngest ever member of any North American Racing Commission when he served on to the Ontario Racing Commission for six years, he later served as a Director of the Ontario Jockey Club for ten years, sat on the Board of the Equine Research Centre for fourteen years, operated Canadian Breeders Sales for eleven years and served as Chief Steward for the Jockey Club of Canada for ten years (1996-2006).

In 2005 he was awarded with the E.P. Taylor Sovereign Award of Merit for a lifelong contribution to Canadian Racing. Currently Michael is a member of the International Cataloguing Standards Committee, he also founded and Chairs the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee and is a member of The Jockey Club and former Chief Steward of the Jockey Club of Canada.

Park Stud achievements include raising Peteski (Canadian Triple Crown winner of 1993 bred by Barry Schwartz), Krz Ruckus (Millionaire by Bold Ruckus) and Mike Fox (2007 Queen’s Plate for Mr. D. Morgan Firestone), bred/raised Zadracarta (Stakes winning daughter of Bold Ruckus, placed in G1 Prix L’abbaye De Longchamp, in partnership with Jim Plemmons) and Financingavailable (Three time Canadian Champion and Millionaire by Kiridashi, in partnership with Helen Irving).

As a leading Consignor in Canada and the USA Michael has sold Johannesburg (World Champion Two-Year-Old), Consolidator (G1 Lane’s End Breeder’s Futurity, sold for $1.25m), Rousillon (Champion and G1W in Europe), Gal in a Ruckus (G1 Kentucky Oaks by Bold Ruckus), Ride Sally (G1W by Raja Baba), Ela Athena ($2 million broodmare), Sweet Briar Too (dam of leading sire Langfuhr and grand dam of Vibank). Byrne alongside Hermitage Farm/Warner L. Jones sold an array of horses including the record $13.1 million Seattle Dancer.