Haras La Quebrada

Haras La Quebrada (1945–2022) was a Thoroughbred racehorse breeding and training farm in Argentina.
Haras La Quebrada was founded by Hernán Ceriani Cernadas in 1945. The name was inspired by his son, Hernán Rodolfo Ceriani Cernadas, when at the age of twelve, he fell off a polo horse and was severely injured, including a broken jawbone and nose. The new farm was named in honor of the accident.
Hernán Ceriani I first went to the races in 1909 and fell in love with the spot. He started his first stable, Stud Pur Sang, in 1913 before acquiring the 20 hectacres of Salvador María del Carril's estancia in Paso del Rey to start breeding at what would become Haras La Quebrada. Two mares and the stallion Malney, by Tresiete, were purchased.
In 1947, Hernán Ceriani purchased a new property in Pilar that was either 400 or 500 hectacres. The stallion Moslem was purchased, and at Haras La Quebrada sired Petare, who would go on to win thirty-five times, racing in Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States.
In 1953, Hernán Ceriani I revolutionized the Argentine breeding industry when he imported the American-bred stallion Make Tracks. Argentine racing and breeding was heavily based on Europe, with previously imported stallions coming from England or France. Make Tracks, bred by King Ranch and sired by Eight Thirty, is believed to be the first American-bred stallion imported into Argentina, although he raced in England, running third in the 1951 King's Stand Stakes. Make Tracks's first crop included Appleton, who set a record at Hipódomo de San Isidro for 2000 meters, and his daughters would become the foundation of Haras La Quebrada.
In 1958, Hernán Ceriani II started to take up a role in technical direction of Haras La Quebrada, which he continued to do until 1969. In the 1960s, the American-bred stallion Solazo was imported.
By 1972, the year Make Tracks died, there were 80 broodmares in Haras La Qubrada.
Hernán Ceriani I died at the age of 64 in 1973. With the support of his mother, Sara Roccatgliata, who had supported the farm from its inception, and his sister, Sara Ceriani Cernadas de Ferrer Reyes, Hernán Ceriani II fully took over the farm.
Haras La Quebrada first headed the breeder statistics in Argentina in 1976, which they would achieve sixteen more times.
In the late 1970s, two more notable stallions were brought to Haras La Quebrada: Logical and Salt Marsh. Sired by Buckpasser out of the mare Smart Deb, Logical had won the Assault Handicap in his native United States. He was imported in 1977 and would end up leading the Argentine broodmare sire list regularly throughout the 1990s.
In 1989, 300 hectacres were purchased in Santa Fe to create Villa Cañás, where weanlings were kept for a year before returning to the main farm in Pilar for training and sales preparation.
In the 1980s, Hernán Ceriani II was one of the founders of FEAR and the Carreras de las Estrellas.
Hernán Ceriani II visited Santa Anita Park in the United States in 1987, where he saw Southern Halo, owned by Stavros Niarchos. He was impressed by the horse, but found the price inaccessible. Later, Southern Halo suffered a severe injury to his left front tendons, and Hernán Ceriani was then able to purchase him and have him exported to Argentina in 1987. Southern Halo became an extraordinaryily successful sire, siring 173 stakes winners and leading the Argentine sire list ten times and the Argentine broodmare sire list every year form 2004 to 2019. Hernán Ceriani II sold Southern Halo back to the United States in 1993, but continued to lease him every year for the Southern hemisphere breeding season.
Hernán Ceriani Cernadas II died in 2007 on January 17. Hernán Ceriani Cernadas III took over the farm at that point, with the assistance of his mother Inés Olaviaga and sister María Inés.
In the early 2000s, Haras La Quebrada had 200 broodmares on the farm and hosted about 300 others brought to be covered by the farm's stallions, producing about 160 foals. A few of the fillies were retained every year, and the remaining foals being sold across a few annual auctions. A team of 30 veterinarians was employed.
In 2017, Hernán Cerniani II and María Inés downsized the operation of Haras La Quebrada, restructuring the operation. 202 mares were sold without reserve in May. The Luhuk mare Dolce Diva, in foal to Endorsement, was the sale topper, selling for Ar$1,900,000 (US$118,750).
In 2022, Haras La Quebrada was fully liquidated and the farm's remaining 32 mares were sold.
Haras La Quebrada employed the jockey Jacinto Herrera and the trainers Juan Carlos Etchechoury and Carlos Zarlengo. Haras La Quebrada served as the Argentine headquarters of Stud RDI.
Haras La Quebrada bred the winners of 279 group stakes, including 194 Group 1 races. In Argentina, they have bred 93 individual Group 1 winners.
Haras La Quebrada won the Distinciones Pellegrini award for Argentine Breeder of the Year in 1983, 1986–1988, 1990, 1991–1994, 1996, 1998, and 2007 and the Argentine Owner of the Year in 1984, 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1994. Haras La Quebrada won the Pellegrini del Año in 1987.
Haras La Quebrada led the Argentine breeders statistics list sixteen times, also finishing second ten times and third three times.
With 9 wins, Haras La Quebrada is the leading owner of the Carreras de Las Estrellas, and with 31 wins, is also the leading breeder.