Thirteen-year-old Kentucky Trophy may be one of the best stallions on owner Jon Xett’s reputable stallion roster but he certainly isn’t priced like one. The son of Trophy out of a Priceless Forever mare never made it to the track but has made huge strides as a stallion, with over 18% stakes winners from starters. $66,333 in average progeny earnings is more than three times his paltry fee of $20,000, yet he has been bred to just 79 mares – a small amount considering the many years he has been standing. Kentucky Trophy gets good colts and fillies, including grade II winners Livelifewithasmile (an earner of over $700,000), Baby (dam of aforementioned hot stallion prospect East), and Kentucky Destiny (dam of grade II winner Kentucky Liberty). He has meshed well with a number of lines including mares by Blades Hill, Symbol, Conduit, Sea Hero, Playful Mood, Battle Cry and Fighting With Wit.
Standing in Canada for owner Laura Ferguson is twelve-year-old End Result. The son of Unheard Of, despite statistics of 70% winners from starters and nearly 13% stakes winners from starters, stands for just $35,000. End Result raced exclusively at two and won all five lifetime starts in a season that culminated with a victory in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile (gr. I) over a number of classy horses such as Tot Ziens, Edict, Righteous and Pillar of Strength. His juvenile campaign earned him Champion Two-Year-Old honors. Though End Result never ran again he went into the shed with high expectations; being undefeated and out of the champion race mare Fallen Goddess. Despite never having tried route distances End Result’s offspring have flourished at classic distances. He sired the world-class Horse of the Year End of the Line, who while racing captured an astounding ten grade I’s on both dirt and turf and has gone on to his own storied career at stud. Recently retired Then won five grade I’s himself including the Steward’s Cup Classic, a race also captured a few years earlier by End of the Line. There also four-time grade I-winning mare Trap, herself the dam of Louisville Oaks (gr. I) victress Brat. Puzzlingly often a forgotten stallion despite such results (no pun intended), End Result boasts a gaudy $157,337 in average progeny earnings. He enjoys the company of The Scarlet Nite and Symbol mares but is versatile enough to work with mares by Playful Mood, Blades Hill, Sunday Silence, Walkover and Loki Brilliance.
Eleven-year-old Gun Hill stands in Ohio for the relatively paltry fee of $25,000. A Steward-bred son of Battle Cry, the solidly built bay was graded stakes-placed at two but hinted he was something special early on when running off with the Arizona Derby by eleven lengths in his sophomore debut. A late developer, he would lose his next three starts before coming into his own with victories in the Canadian Derby (CAN-II) and rich Japan Cup Dirt (JPN-I). Gun Hill started his four-year-old season with three wins including a dramatic nose victory in the lucrative Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) over household names Pillar of Strength, Majesty and Coup d’Etat, before ending his career with a disappointing seventh behind Pillar of Strength in the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I). As a stallion, Gun Hill has been undervalued with just 155 foals on the ground but has made the most of his breeding opportunities. He has gotten 58% winners from starters and nearly 12% stakes winners from starters. Gun Hill’s average progeny earnings are a notable $65,178, well over two times his stud fee. His biggest runner to date is the venerable 14-for-28 gelding Artillery, an earner of nearly $3 million. Artillery was a grade II-winning juvenile before annexing the Sunshine Park Derby (gr. I), Midsummer Classic (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Marathon (gr. I). Grade II winners Never Quit and Partnership are also among Gun Hill’s leading earners. Crossing to Giacomo and Conduit mares has resulted in large successes but like the other stallions profiled here a slew of bloodlines have also been productive and include Symbol, End Result and real-life stallions Easy Goer, Stop the Music and Unbridled.
At $20,000, Inspired Strike just might be the biggest steal of them all. The eleven-year-old son of Compelling has been just as consistent in the shed as he was on the racetrack. A stakes-winning juvenile in the States, he shipped to Puerto Rico as a sophomore and won three graded stakes over older horses. Inspired Strike traveled throughout his four-year-old season, which resulted in a grade I placing in Argentina and graded stakes wins in Texas, Puerto Rico, California and New York, while competing against divisional heavyweights Echo Iced, Southern Cross and Yamikishi. He retired after finishing a lackluster seventh in the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) but has since made amends as a stallion. Inspired Strike boasts over 75% winners from runners and a healthy 17% stakes winners from runners. He has sired graded stakes winners Flares and Spare and a plethora of ungraded stakes winners; with average progeny earnings sitting at about twice his stud fee. Inspired Strike clearly enjoys the company of mares by Lost Soldier and his son Lost in the Fog, but has also gotten stakes winners from mares by Satelite and more obscure stallions like Oasis Bilksem and Tarnished Gold.
Ten-year-old Esteemed is another diamond in the rough at $25,000 and like Inspired Strike is owned by Brianna McKenzie, a force as an owner and breeder in the sprint division. Esteemed won two of three starts at two but just one of four starts at three; something that can be excused considering he was butting heads with older horses like Lost, Southern Cross and Echo Iced. Unlike your typical sprinter, Esteemed hit his best stride at four and five. He won graded stakes in New York, California, Puerto Rico and Kentucky and ended his career with two six-length romps in Puerto Rico. As a stallion Esteemed has been very sharp with average progeny earnings of over $46,000, 71% winners from runners and nearly 15% stakes winners from runners. His best runners to date are Driving Rain, a millionaire whose biggest triumph came in the form of a four-length win in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint (ARG-I) and the mare Look Elegant, winner of Era Stakes (gr. I) and Dancer Stakes (gr. I) in back-to-back starts. Another son, Reputable, was named Islands Champion 2-Year-Old Colt for his victory in the Puerto Rico Juvenile Championship (PR-I). As expected, Esteemed has begotten numerous stakes winners from mares by Satelite and his sons Comet, Pincay, Saturn and Villain. Em’s Always Busy –and his son Inspired Dream—have meshed well; and there have even been added money winners from the Inspired Fate and Anxious Gold lines as well.
Despite being a champion and classic winner, Empire is a stallion who is often passed over. This is a terrific shame since the eleven-year-old quietly goes about getting results like a whopping 77.5% winners from runners, average progeny earnings of more than double his $25,000 fee and 11.2% stakes winners from runners. Empire was always expected to be a good one, being by 11-for-13 multi-millionaire Chesapeake Bay and out of Hall of Famer and Broodmare of the Year Royalty. And he did not disappoint, winning his first five starts including the Wood Memorial (gr. I) to go off as the Louisville Derby (gr. I) favorite, though he would finish second by a length to Coup D’etat, a horse he edged in the Wood. Empire did take the Baltimore Crown (gr. I) next out over a star-studded field including the filly Wonder, Coup D’etat and California. He was even better at four and five when annexing the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) by six lengths over old rival Coup D’etat, the Whitney Handicap (gr. I) by 4-1/2 lengths and finishing second by a half-length in the Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He also captured the Clasico Verset’s Jet (PR-I) in his final start, which earned him the title of Islands Champion Older Horse. As a stallion he has produced grade I-winning sons Be My Neighbor and Misfit and grade II victors Flawed Legacy and Laytheblameonlove. Empire makes a favorable impression as he is not picky with his mares, getting stakes winners from mares by everything from Wheelaway, Fightingwithfaith, Heir to the Throne, Fighting With Wit, Battle Cry and Saint Ballado.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Bargain Sires Part II
Standing in California for $45,000 is eleven-year-old Tycoon. The bay son of Ready for Apremont won ten of seventeen starts while racing everywhere from the States to South America to Dubai while butting heads with other talented members of his crop like Sic Transit Gloria and Lost (also premier sires). Though he didn’t capture a grade I until his final start, the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint, he placed in several other top stakes including the Desert Golden Sprint (UAE-I) and Phoenix Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I). But at stud Tycoon really hit his stride, and boasts 17.4% stakes winners from foals and 74.2% winners from runners. His best is the popular young stallion Look Marvel, who on the racecourse won the Two-Year-Old Sprint Championship (gr. I) and in his finale took Desert Golden Sprint by over seven lengths with a monstrous 97 speed figure. Other grade I-winning sons include three-year-olds Planet and Ad Infinitum. Tycoon has shown a strong affinity for Satelite-lined mares but has also begotten classy stakes winners from mares by Lost Soldier and his son Lost, Sic Transit Gloria and Ghostzapper.
Another sprint sire who has quietly held his own in the shed is the Mallory Claire homebred Villain. The twelve-year-old grey butted heads with some of the most famous names in sprinting including Saturn, Runtoapremont and Adjust the Lens in a career that saw him win seven of ten starts. A stakes winner at two, Villain blossomed during his sophomore year when he won four of five starts including the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) and Bing Crosby Handicap (gr. I) en route to Champion Sprinter honors. He retired to his owner’s stud in Texas and immediately got results with horses like Desert Golden Sprint victor and champion Snake –who not long ago had a remarkable number of winners in his own first crop— and grade II winners Steal It and Look Suspicious. Villain’s statistics (nearly 80% winners from starters; over 15% stakes winners from starters) speak for themselves, but despite these solid numbers his fee has dwindled to a tempting $35,000. Perhaps the sole knock against him is that he has a very common pedigree (by Satelite out of an Em’s Always Busy mare) that excludes much of the sprint population. However, Villain has done well with other sprinting lines such as Black Ice, Mr. Prospector, Lost in the Fog, Super Speed and others. He also has a distinct fondness for Symbol mares.
If you haven’t bred to Herkemayah yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. At thirteen years of age he isn’t likely to be at stud much longer but is still priced moderately at $40,000. With an enviable record of 8-2-0 in ten starts, the dark bay son of Trophy won several of the nation’s biggest races including the Baltimore Crown (gr. I), Long Island Classic (gr. I) and Woodward Stakes (gr. I) –the latter a 14-3/4-length romp over older horses— on his way to Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Herkemayah may not have been a leading sire but his numbers remain respectable: Nearly 70% winners from starters, 12.4% stakes winners from starters and average earnings per runner of more than twice his stud fee. He can get you a big horse as evidenced by his young sire son Kamikaze, who on the track was named North American Champion Older Male and Three-Year-Old in back-to-back years after capturing such gems as the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) and Long Island Gold Cup (gr. I). Herkemayah also sired a classy trio of fillies in Steward’s Cup Distaff (gr. I) heroine Premier, champion Moed and grade I winner Tendency, among others. He has struck gold with a bevy of sirelines including Walkover, Symbol, Mr. Prospector, Sunday Silence, Fighting With Wit, General Meeting, Event of the Year and Chesapeake Bay.
Right Hand Man, now eleven, stands at stud in New York for $50,000 a pop. Not just any horse can make a price tag like that seem like a bargain, but Laura Pony’s Australian-bred has far outdone himself. A globe-trotting son of prominent turf sprinting influence King’s Best, Right Hand Man earned nearly $3 million on the track the hard way with victories in some of the world’s biggest sprint races like the Steward’s Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT), Centenary Turf Sprint (HK-I) and Cape Flying Championship (SAF-I); as well as capturing graded stakes in Japan and Brazil. Named both Asian and South African Champion Sprinter, Right Hand Man came out of the gate running at stud too: He has sired a remarkable 86% winners from starters and a rarely rivaled 27.8% stakes winners from starters. His best son is Just, an overwhelming four-time Simmy award winner who is proving to be very popular in the shed. Right Hand Man has also begotten group I winners Hold My Hand and The White Album and a copious number of other graded stakes winners. He has demonstrated a strong affinity for Storm Cat mares and particularly mares by his son A Bus and grandson Guitar. Symboli Kris S mares also seem to be matching up well and Right Hand Man has graded stakes winners out of entirely different lines like Grey Swallow, Yakima, Special Week and Tulloch.
Another sprint sire who has quietly held his own in the shed is the Mallory Claire homebred Villain. The twelve-year-old grey butted heads with some of the most famous names in sprinting including Saturn, Runtoapremont and Adjust the Lens in a career that saw him win seven of ten starts. A stakes winner at two, Villain blossomed during his sophomore year when he won four of five starts including the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) and Bing Crosby Handicap (gr. I) en route to Champion Sprinter honors. He retired to his owner’s stud in Texas and immediately got results with horses like Desert Golden Sprint victor and champion Snake –who not long ago had a remarkable number of winners in his own first crop— and grade II winners Steal It and Look Suspicious. Villain’s statistics (nearly 80% winners from starters; over 15% stakes winners from starters) speak for themselves, but despite these solid numbers his fee has dwindled to a tempting $35,000. Perhaps the sole knock against him is that he has a very common pedigree (by Satelite out of an Em’s Always Busy mare) that excludes much of the sprint population. However, Villain has done well with other sprinting lines such as Black Ice, Mr. Prospector, Lost in the Fog, Super Speed and others. He also has a distinct fondness for Symbol mares.
If you haven’t bred to Herkemayah yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. At thirteen years of age he isn’t likely to be at stud much longer but is still priced moderately at $40,000. With an enviable record of 8-2-0 in ten starts, the dark bay son of Trophy won several of the nation’s biggest races including the Baltimore Crown (gr. I), Long Island Classic (gr. I) and Woodward Stakes (gr. I) –the latter a 14-3/4-length romp over older horses— on his way to Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Herkemayah may not have been a leading sire but his numbers remain respectable: Nearly 70% winners from starters, 12.4% stakes winners from starters and average earnings per runner of more than twice his stud fee. He can get you a big horse as evidenced by his young sire son Kamikaze, who on the track was named North American Champion Older Male and Three-Year-Old in back-to-back years after capturing such gems as the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) and Long Island Gold Cup (gr. I). Herkemayah also sired a classy trio of fillies in Steward’s Cup Distaff (gr. I) heroine Premier, champion Moed and grade I winner Tendency, among others. He has struck gold with a bevy of sirelines including Walkover, Symbol, Mr. Prospector, Sunday Silence, Fighting With Wit, General Meeting, Event of the Year and Chesapeake Bay.
Right Hand Man, now eleven, stands at stud in New York for $50,000 a pop. Not just any horse can make a price tag like that seem like a bargain, but Laura Pony’s Australian-bred has far outdone himself. A globe-trotting son of prominent turf sprinting influence King’s Best, Right Hand Man earned nearly $3 million on the track the hard way with victories in some of the world’s biggest sprint races like the Steward’s Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT), Centenary Turf Sprint (HK-I) and Cape Flying Championship (SAF-I); as well as capturing graded stakes in Japan and Brazil. Named both Asian and South African Champion Sprinter, Right Hand Man came out of the gate running at stud too: He has sired a remarkable 86% winners from starters and a rarely rivaled 27.8% stakes winners from starters. His best son is Just, an overwhelming four-time Simmy award winner who is proving to be very popular in the shed. Right Hand Man has also begotten group I winners Hold My Hand and The White Album and a copious number of other graded stakes winners. He has demonstrated a strong affinity for Storm Cat mares and particularly mares by his son A Bus and grandson Guitar. Symboli Kris S mares also seem to be matching up well and Right Hand Man has graded stakes winners out of entirely different lines like Grey Swallow, Yakima, Special Week and Tulloch.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
More than meets the eye
Enough with negativity on stallions, you must be thinking, after my post chronicling some of the biggest disappointments in the history of SIM breeding.
Well, you’re in luck. I’m in a particularly good mood today so I have decided, by comparison, to take a look at stallions who I think are the biggest bargains in the SIM. There are a lot of ways to measure success: Total progeny earnings, percentage of stakes winners from foals, average earnings per runner. Those are all pertinent bits of information but what figures prominently in the designation ‘bargain’ is price. Bang for your buck, so to speak. Certain dollar increments may sound steep for a stallion but if he is siring an unreal percentage of stakes winners from foals that is the kind of statistic that makes him a worthy investment.
We’ll start with my favorite sire of the moment, Fighter Jet. A twelve-year-old son of Triple Crown hero Jet Ski, Fighter Jet did not make it to the races until age 3 but by season’s end he had managed to land the Pacific Classic (gr. I) over Chinese Bandit and Enforcer (both of whom would also go on to successful stallion careers). He was even better at four when he annexed the Strub Stakes, Arcadia Handicap and Iselin Handicap (all gr. I). Fighter Jet, now twelve (Hint: Breed to him before he is pensioned!), has also been productive in the shed with a very respectable percentage of 17.5% of stakes winners from runners. His progeny are led by hot young stallion prospects East and Desert Nomad, as well as numerous other grade I winners including Crime Fighter, More and Squadron Leader. Fighter Jet also boasts average progeny earnings of $131,134 – more than triple his fee of $40,000. I also fancy Fighter Jet because he has worked with a variety of bloodlines including Mr. Prospector, Sports Jersey, Sunday Silence, A.P. Indy, Loki Flame, Kentucky Trophy and others.
Super Light, standing at stud in England for $45,000, is one worth a second look. A son of Sadler’s Wells, he is often overlooked –particularly since the retirement of Arc de Triomphe (FR-I) hero Stealth Ninja— even though he sports solid numbers. Now eleven, Super Light began his career in the States before shipping to South Africa where he would plunder nearly every event on the calendar; from the one-mile Bloodstock South African Guineas (SAF-I) to the 1-1/2-mile South African Derby (SAF-I). In all he would claim four grade I’s in South Africa that year which earned him Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Super Light has continued his honest ways with 16.8% stakes winners from runners and a remarkable 72.9% winners from runners. His leading runners have been South African Champion Older Male Light Of The World, a four-time group I winner, and South African Stayer Stakes (SAF-I) victor Creator. Super Light is not picky with his mares; having begotten major stakes winners from lines ranging from Barbaro, Dance In the Dark and Astarabad to A Crown Awaits, Crystal Night and Action This Day.
Out of Kindness is a horse I had been wanting to breed for quite some time but with him standing at $100,000 (although not an outlandish fee for a horse of his quality) and so many other good sons of Ghostzapper at stud I kind of pushed him to the back of my mind. I won’t be doing that any longer. Yes, there are many respectable sons of Ghostzapper out there but, as the venerable and sagely Eric Nalbone once noted, Out of Kindness is exquisite: He is the one son of that stallion to carry that wicked speed a classic distance, demonstrated when he landed 1-1/4-mile Midsummer Classic (gr. I) over such foes as Notorious, Del Mar and Torero. Out of Kindness has been even better as a stallion getting an incredible 21.3% stakes winners from runners; 76.6% winners from runners. His best runner thus far is multiple grade I winner Gift Of The Moon, who defeated colts handily in the Inglewood Futurity (gr. I), though he has sired graded stakes winners in Fives and Tens, Pantala Naga Pampa, Kindly, etc. Out of Kindness has dropped all the way to a tempting $50,000, and like the other stallions mentioned has meshed well with a number of bloodlines including Mighty Big, Battle Cry, Loki Dynasty, Symbol, Saga and Mr. Prospector.
I may be jumping the gun a bit, but on the other end of the spectrum are horses like Patience. The handsome dark bay Steward-bred horse sold for $800,000 at auction, sporting a blue-blooded pedigree as a son of three-time champion and recently pensioned Fleet Afoot out of the mare Soothe – herself the dam of grade I winners Ease, Snuggle, Submissive and Reassure (the former two already off to productive stallion careers). Patience only found the winner’s circle five times in thirteen starts but was able to bag the South African Sprint Championship (SAF-I) and Hitch a Ride Sprint (SAF-I), enough to garner the title of South African Champion Sprinter. Currently standing for $5,000 in France, Patience has sired just over 3% stakes winners from runners with his second crop just hitting the track this season, but I am a big believer in him. He has been fecund –44% winners from runners—thus far despite being bred to very mediocre mares. Throw him a decent stakes-winning mare and he will get you a good horse, as evidenced by the yearling Wait for the Bus who has smoked three furlongs on the turf in an unheard of 0:36.29! Patience is an attractive outcross to most of the sprint population; he has done well with Storm Cat-lined mares (think A Bus, Boot Legger, etc.) but has also gotten winners from King’s Best, Gone West, and Petionville mares as well as the more obscure (try Include and Choisir).
Well, you’re in luck. I’m in a particularly good mood today so I have decided, by comparison, to take a look at stallions who I think are the biggest bargains in the SIM. There are a lot of ways to measure success: Total progeny earnings, percentage of stakes winners from foals, average earnings per runner. Those are all pertinent bits of information but what figures prominently in the designation ‘bargain’ is price. Bang for your buck, so to speak. Certain dollar increments may sound steep for a stallion but if he is siring an unreal percentage of stakes winners from foals that is the kind of statistic that makes him a worthy investment.
We’ll start with my favorite sire of the moment, Fighter Jet. A twelve-year-old son of Triple Crown hero Jet Ski, Fighter Jet did not make it to the races until age 3 but by season’s end he had managed to land the Pacific Classic (gr. I) over Chinese Bandit and Enforcer (both of whom would also go on to successful stallion careers). He was even better at four when he annexed the Strub Stakes, Arcadia Handicap and Iselin Handicap (all gr. I). Fighter Jet, now twelve (Hint: Breed to him before he is pensioned!), has also been productive in the shed with a very respectable percentage of 17.5% of stakes winners from runners. His progeny are led by hot young stallion prospects East and Desert Nomad, as well as numerous other grade I winners including Crime Fighter, More and Squadron Leader. Fighter Jet also boasts average progeny earnings of $131,134 – more than triple his fee of $40,000. I also fancy Fighter Jet because he has worked with a variety of bloodlines including Mr. Prospector, Sports Jersey, Sunday Silence, A.P. Indy, Loki Flame, Kentucky Trophy and others.
Super Light, standing at stud in England for $45,000, is one worth a second look. A son of Sadler’s Wells, he is often overlooked –particularly since the retirement of Arc de Triomphe (FR-I) hero Stealth Ninja— even though he sports solid numbers. Now eleven, Super Light began his career in the States before shipping to South Africa where he would plunder nearly every event on the calendar; from the one-mile Bloodstock South African Guineas (SAF-I) to the 1-1/2-mile South African Derby (SAF-I). In all he would claim four grade I’s in South Africa that year which earned him Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Super Light has continued his honest ways with 16.8% stakes winners from runners and a remarkable 72.9% winners from runners. His leading runners have been South African Champion Older Male Light Of The World, a four-time group I winner, and South African Stayer Stakes (SAF-I) victor Creator. Super Light is not picky with his mares; having begotten major stakes winners from lines ranging from Barbaro, Dance In the Dark and Astarabad to A Crown Awaits, Crystal Night and Action This Day.
Out of Kindness is a horse I had been wanting to breed for quite some time but with him standing at $100,000 (although not an outlandish fee for a horse of his quality) and so many other good sons of Ghostzapper at stud I kind of pushed him to the back of my mind. I won’t be doing that any longer. Yes, there are many respectable sons of Ghostzapper out there but, as the venerable and sagely Eric Nalbone once noted, Out of Kindness is exquisite: He is the one son of that stallion to carry that wicked speed a classic distance, demonstrated when he landed 1-1/4-mile Midsummer Classic (gr. I) over such foes as Notorious, Del Mar and Torero. Out of Kindness has been even better as a stallion getting an incredible 21.3% stakes winners from runners; 76.6% winners from runners. His best runner thus far is multiple grade I winner Gift Of The Moon, who defeated colts handily in the Inglewood Futurity (gr. I), though he has sired graded stakes winners in Fives and Tens, Pantala Naga Pampa, Kindly, etc. Out of Kindness has dropped all the way to a tempting $50,000, and like the other stallions mentioned has meshed well with a number of bloodlines including Mighty Big, Battle Cry, Loki Dynasty, Symbol, Saga and Mr. Prospector.
I may be jumping the gun a bit, but on the other end of the spectrum are horses like Patience. The handsome dark bay Steward-bred horse sold for $800,000 at auction, sporting a blue-blooded pedigree as a son of three-time champion and recently pensioned Fleet Afoot out of the mare Soothe – herself the dam of grade I winners Ease, Snuggle, Submissive and Reassure (the former two already off to productive stallion careers). Patience only found the winner’s circle five times in thirteen starts but was able to bag the South African Sprint Championship (SAF-I) and Hitch a Ride Sprint (SAF-I), enough to garner the title of South African Champion Sprinter. Currently standing for $5,000 in France, Patience has sired just over 3% stakes winners from runners with his second crop just hitting the track this season, but I am a big believer in him. He has been fecund –44% winners from runners—thus far despite being bred to very mediocre mares. Throw him a decent stakes-winning mare and he will get you a good horse, as evidenced by the yearling Wait for the Bus who has smoked three furlongs on the turf in an unheard of 0:36.29! Patience is an attractive outcross to most of the sprint population; he has done well with Storm Cat-lined mares (think A Bus, Boot Legger, etc.) but has also gotten winners from King’s Best, Gone West, and Petionville mares as well as the more obscure (try Include and Choisir).
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Less bang for your buck
The SIM has a number of outstanding stallions with unreal statistics; from turf router Black Condor to main track sprinter Pincay. But just like the real world, the SIM has also seen its share of disappointments at stud; stallions who failed to emulate their sterling race records and royal pedigrees.
Hemi Cuda: Originally standing on the reputable Dave Shields stallion roster for his breeder, Hemi Cuda is now owned by Mike Prevost. A son of Lost Soldier and a half-brother to three millionaires in Nitro, Chevelle and White Lightening, Hemi Cuda was bred to be a star and ran like it when winning ten of fourteen starts. His career was highlighted by his four-year-old season in which he went undefeated in five starts, landing races like the Desert Golden Sprint (UAE-I) and Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) on his way to North American Champion Sprinter honors. He went to stud with high expectations but has thus far failed to deliver on his earlier promise. Hemi Cuda has a strike rate of 7.4% stakes winners from runners, but his highest earner tops out at a surprisingly low $186,000. In fact, just two of his 148 runners to date have surpassed the $100,000 mark, despite being sent above-average mares. Hemi Cuda stands for $40,000 at Who Dat Farm in Louisiana.
Prefamageps: Bred and owned by the influential Eric Nalbone, Prefamageps himself had much expected of him in the shed. A son of the remarkable stallion Fighting With Wit –the sire of leading sires Saga, Chinese Bandit, and Worth Fighting For—out of a Sunday Silence mare, Prefamageps was precocious enough to win the first four starts of his career. He captured the Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Travers Stakes (gr. I) at three and the following season took the Whitney Handicap (gr. I), Laurel Handicap Championship (gr. I), and Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) over a star field that included Accolade and Triple Crown hero Jet Ski. But at stud Prefamageps sired one horse of note, millionaire and grade I winner Prince, while his next highest earner topped out at $259,000. Before being pensioned at his owner’s Dare to Dream Stud in New York, he sired just four other stakes winners from his other 73 foals.
Supreme: Another beautifully bred horse, Supreme had the pedigree to be a star both on the track and in the shed. It is a shame, then, that he is not in either area. A $2.5 million purchase for owner Brianna McKenzie, Supreme is a son of the infamous Loki Dynasty, himself the sire of stars Awake As I Am, Notorious, Boise State Boy, Ramses II and High Flyer. He is out of the once-defeated champion Tiara, who herself landed seven grade I’s and has produced millionaires King and Majesty. Supreme won six times in eighteen starts with his biggest tally coming in the Cigar Mile (gr. I). He would appear then to be a bargain at $5,000, but look again – his strike rate of stakes winners from runners is a tragic 3.9%, with just over 45% winners. His leading earner has amassed over $700,000, though his next highest earner sits at $72,180. Supreme stands for $5,000 at his owner’s Vishtaspa Stables in Florida.
Left Behind: Like Supreme, Left Behind was bred by the Steward though unlike the former he sold for just $4,000 as a yearling. Despite his purchase price, the handsome bay did come from good stock: His sire, Loki Brilliance, was a champion who won ten of fifteen starts and sired another millionaire in Voyeur. The dam, Leaveminthedust, has also produced champion and grade I winner Alone in My Dreams. Left Behind was a classy racehorse, winning the Haskell Invitational (gr. I), Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He was a popular first choice as a miler stallion upon retirement, but at age nine has not much to show for it. Left Behind has less than 37% winners from runners, and average earnings of $7,967 per runner. To date, he has not sired a single stakes winner from 80 runners. Left Behind stands for $10,000 at Rivendell Acres in Kentucky.
Royal Moment: As far as disappointments at stud go, few have been bigger than Royal Moment, who is as royally bred as his name would suggest. Bred and owned by longstanding SIM trainer Susie Raisher, he is a son of Horse of the Year Silver Charm who sired nine other millionaires. Royal Moment is out of champion Flanders, who produced six stakes winners. Royal Moment was easily the best of them, winning all thirteen of his starts including the Prince of Peace Stakes (CAN-I), UAE Derby (UAE-I) and Inglewood Futurity (gr. I). As a stallion he left something to be desired, siring just one stakes winner from 62 starters. That lone stakes winner was the only horse to cross the $100,000 mark in earnings, while his second highest earner never even succeeded in breaking his maiden. Today Royal Moment is a pensioner at his owner’s Fox Lair Farm in New York.
Shield: The expectations for Shield, an $8 million yearling auction purchase, were always high. His sire Satelite was undefeated and his blood dominates the sprint breeding industry with several leading, fecund sons including Pincay, Saturn, Villain, Best and Comet. The dam of Shield, the late Brilliancenevafades, produced five other stakes winners. Her grey son by Satelite lived up to his bloodlines by winning seven of ten starts on the track including the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. I) and Pat O’Brien Handicap (gr. I). But off the track Shield struggled, getting three stakes winners from 58 runners with a winners from starters percentage of 34.5%. His highest earner sits at $140,600 in career earnings, with two others with earnings over $50,000. Now pensioned, Shield lives at owner Sara Kendall’s farm Haras Villa Del Sur in Columbia.
Konstantine: Here is another blue-blooded horse; this one bred by the reputable Robin Tan. Konstantine is a son of the undefeated legend Conduit, himself the sire of leading stallions Loki Dynasty, Feature Attraction, Atlas, Le Dauphin Noir, Tejano Tribute and Tot Ziens. His dam is a legend herself, a member of the Hall of the Fame and a Horse of the Year with five grade I’s to her credit, including a victory over the boys in the Baltimore Crown (gr. I). As a broodmare she produced six other millionaires, including successful stallion Heir to the Throne. Her son Konstantine was a force on the racetrack, winning nine of twelve starts including the Twin Spires Stakes (gr. I) at two and the Donn Handicap (gr. I) at four. But as a stallion he has been far less prominent, siring just five stakes winners from 220 runners. Those five horses are the only ones to breach the $100,000 mark in earnings, and such unimpressive numbers have led to Konstantine’s fee to dwindle to $3,500 at age twelve. Now owned by Bob Allensworth, he stands at Whispering Oaks in Kentucky.
Icon: This son of the once-beaten pair of Priceless Forever and the blue hen Mirror also possesses a storied pedigree. His sire produced twenty –yes, twenty—millionaires at stud and the dam has the remarkable notation of all eight foals becoming millionaires, including popular stallions and Louisville Derby (gr. I) heroes Saga and Braveheart. Icon himself was no slouch, capturing eight of ten outings while landing five grade I’s on both dirt and turf including the Metropolitan Handicap and Maker’s Mark Mile (gr. IT). However unlike his siblings he has failed to leave a mark on the breed. In fact, Icon was surprisingly non-potent, siring just two stakes winners from 103 starters with less than 37% winners. Even his leading earner, five-for-nine Pretty Baby of $336,640, has produced four runners with just one win between them to date. Icon has since been pensioned alongside fellow Dare to Dream Stud pensioner Prefamageps.
Viper: LaDonna King’s homebred colt was a gem of consistency, finishing first or second in ten of twelve lifetime starts. He counted among his victories the Midsummer Classic (gr. I), Arcadia Handicap (gr. I) and Lexington Stakes (gr. II), while running against such household names as Loki Dynasty, Prefamageps, Atlas and Saga. Like Prefamageps, Viper’s sire was the premier stallion Fighting With Wit, who sired a trio of leading sires in Saga, Worth Fighting For and Chinese Bandit. Viper’s dam is Really Excellent, a four-time grade I-winning Real Quiet mare who has produced five other millionaires in Marked Improvement, Vampire, Stealth, Lighting A Candle and Loki Angel. But despite such fertile bloodlines Viper himself has been a disappointment at stud, getting 32% winners from runners and two stakes winners from 50 runners, with one of those stakes wins coming at restricted Trial Park. He currently stands at his owner’s The Finish Line Farm in Kentucky for $1.
Hemi Cuda: Originally standing on the reputable Dave Shields stallion roster for his breeder, Hemi Cuda is now owned by Mike Prevost. A son of Lost Soldier and a half-brother to three millionaires in Nitro, Chevelle and White Lightening, Hemi Cuda was bred to be a star and ran like it when winning ten of fourteen starts. His career was highlighted by his four-year-old season in which he went undefeated in five starts, landing races like the Desert Golden Sprint (UAE-I) and Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) on his way to North American Champion Sprinter honors. He went to stud with high expectations but has thus far failed to deliver on his earlier promise. Hemi Cuda has a strike rate of 7.4% stakes winners from runners, but his highest earner tops out at a surprisingly low $186,000. In fact, just two of his 148 runners to date have surpassed the $100,000 mark, despite being sent above-average mares. Hemi Cuda stands for $40,000 at Who Dat Farm in Louisiana.
Prefamageps: Bred and owned by the influential Eric Nalbone, Prefamageps himself had much expected of him in the shed. A son of the remarkable stallion Fighting With Wit –the sire of leading sires Saga, Chinese Bandit, and Worth Fighting For—out of a Sunday Silence mare, Prefamageps was precocious enough to win the first four starts of his career. He captured the Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Travers Stakes (gr. I) at three and the following season took the Whitney Handicap (gr. I), Laurel Handicap Championship (gr. I), and Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) over a star field that included Accolade and Triple Crown hero Jet Ski. But at stud Prefamageps sired one horse of note, millionaire and grade I winner Prince, while his next highest earner topped out at $259,000. Before being pensioned at his owner’s Dare to Dream Stud in New York, he sired just four other stakes winners from his other 73 foals.
Supreme: Another beautifully bred horse, Supreme had the pedigree to be a star both on the track and in the shed. It is a shame, then, that he is not in either area. A $2.5 million purchase for owner Brianna McKenzie, Supreme is a son of the infamous Loki Dynasty, himself the sire of stars Awake As I Am, Notorious, Boise State Boy, Ramses II and High Flyer. He is out of the once-defeated champion Tiara, who herself landed seven grade I’s and has produced millionaires King and Majesty. Supreme won six times in eighteen starts with his biggest tally coming in the Cigar Mile (gr. I). He would appear then to be a bargain at $5,000, but look again – his strike rate of stakes winners from runners is a tragic 3.9%, with just over 45% winners. His leading earner has amassed over $700,000, though his next highest earner sits at $72,180. Supreme stands for $5,000 at his owner’s Vishtaspa Stables in Florida.
Left Behind: Like Supreme, Left Behind was bred by the Steward though unlike the former he sold for just $4,000 as a yearling. Despite his purchase price, the handsome bay did come from good stock: His sire, Loki Brilliance, was a champion who won ten of fifteen starts and sired another millionaire in Voyeur. The dam, Leaveminthedust, has also produced champion and grade I winner Alone in My Dreams. Left Behind was a classy racehorse, winning the Haskell Invitational (gr. I), Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He was a popular first choice as a miler stallion upon retirement, but at age nine has not much to show for it. Left Behind has less than 37% winners from runners, and average earnings of $7,967 per runner. To date, he has not sired a single stakes winner from 80 runners. Left Behind stands for $10,000 at Rivendell Acres in Kentucky.
Royal Moment: As far as disappointments at stud go, few have been bigger than Royal Moment, who is as royally bred as his name would suggest. Bred and owned by longstanding SIM trainer Susie Raisher, he is a son of Horse of the Year Silver Charm who sired nine other millionaires. Royal Moment is out of champion Flanders, who produced six stakes winners. Royal Moment was easily the best of them, winning all thirteen of his starts including the Prince of Peace Stakes (CAN-I), UAE Derby (UAE-I) and Inglewood Futurity (gr. I). As a stallion he left something to be desired, siring just one stakes winner from 62 starters. That lone stakes winner was the only horse to cross the $100,000 mark in earnings, while his second highest earner never even succeeded in breaking his maiden. Today Royal Moment is a pensioner at his owner’s Fox Lair Farm in New York.
Shield: The expectations for Shield, an $8 million yearling auction purchase, were always high. His sire Satelite was undefeated and his blood dominates the sprint breeding industry with several leading, fecund sons including Pincay, Saturn, Villain, Best and Comet. The dam of Shield, the late Brilliancenevafades, produced five other stakes winners. Her grey son by Satelite lived up to his bloodlines by winning seven of ten starts on the track including the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. I) and Pat O’Brien Handicap (gr. I). But off the track Shield struggled, getting three stakes winners from 58 runners with a winners from starters percentage of 34.5%. His highest earner sits at $140,600 in career earnings, with two others with earnings over $50,000. Now pensioned, Shield lives at owner Sara Kendall’s farm Haras Villa Del Sur in Columbia.
Konstantine: Here is another blue-blooded horse; this one bred by the reputable Robin Tan. Konstantine is a son of the undefeated legend Conduit, himself the sire of leading stallions Loki Dynasty, Feature Attraction, Atlas, Le Dauphin Noir, Tejano Tribute and Tot Ziens. His dam is a legend herself, a member of the Hall of the Fame and a Horse of the Year with five grade I’s to her credit, including a victory over the boys in the Baltimore Crown (gr. I). As a broodmare she produced six other millionaires, including successful stallion Heir to the Throne. Her son Konstantine was a force on the racetrack, winning nine of twelve starts including the Twin Spires Stakes (gr. I) at two and the Donn Handicap (gr. I) at four. But as a stallion he has been far less prominent, siring just five stakes winners from 220 runners. Those five horses are the only ones to breach the $100,000 mark in earnings, and such unimpressive numbers have led to Konstantine’s fee to dwindle to $3,500 at age twelve. Now owned by Bob Allensworth, he stands at Whispering Oaks in Kentucky.
Icon: This son of the once-beaten pair of Priceless Forever and the blue hen Mirror also possesses a storied pedigree. His sire produced twenty –yes, twenty—millionaires at stud and the dam has the remarkable notation of all eight foals becoming millionaires, including popular stallions and Louisville Derby (gr. I) heroes Saga and Braveheart. Icon himself was no slouch, capturing eight of ten outings while landing five grade I’s on both dirt and turf including the Metropolitan Handicap and Maker’s Mark Mile (gr. IT). However unlike his siblings he has failed to leave a mark on the breed. In fact, Icon was surprisingly non-potent, siring just two stakes winners from 103 starters with less than 37% winners. Even his leading earner, five-for-nine Pretty Baby of $336,640, has produced four runners with just one win between them to date. Icon has since been pensioned alongside fellow Dare to Dream Stud pensioner Prefamageps.
Viper: LaDonna King’s homebred colt was a gem of consistency, finishing first or second in ten of twelve lifetime starts. He counted among his victories the Midsummer Classic (gr. I), Arcadia Handicap (gr. I) and Lexington Stakes (gr. II), while running against such household names as Loki Dynasty, Prefamageps, Atlas and Saga. Like Prefamageps, Viper’s sire was the premier stallion Fighting With Wit, who sired a trio of leading sires in Saga, Worth Fighting For and Chinese Bandit. Viper’s dam is Really Excellent, a four-time grade I-winning Real Quiet mare who has produced five other millionaires in Marked Improvement, Vampire, Stealth, Lighting A Candle and Loki Angel. But despite such fertile bloodlines Viper himself has been a disappointment at stud, getting 32% winners from runners and two stakes winners from 50 runners, with one of those stakes wins coming at restricted Trial Park. He currently stands at his owner’s The Finish Line Farm in Kentucky for $1.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A slew of disappointments; a few glimmers of hope
I worked all 87 yearlings today for the first time. Most, as expected, were mediocre. A few worked terribly and a few worked promisingly. What never does cease to amaze me is how wrong I've been when I pegged them as foals. Some I think could set the track afire turn out to be not much faster than a fat man, and some I have very modest expectations for work very quickly. (The former, in case you were wondering, occurs far more frequently.)
Despite my best efforts to branch out from turf sprinters my best workers and runners seem to always fall into that subtype. Don't get me wrong; I will take a good horse of any kind, but it would be nice for a change of pace to have a nice productive dirt or turf router. Perhaps with the retirement of Phoenix Rise --whose oldest crop, now two-year-olds, includes some quick workers who are still waiting for the racing secretaries to card those juvenile mile races-- I can develop some good dirt horses. But I digress.
Top workers from this morning are:
Balalaika (F) (Chernobyl -- Dance Biscuit, Blaze The Green); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Riedell (Automobile -- Frost, Dubawi); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Eminence Rouge (F) (Throne -- Grey Eminence, Fighter Jet); 5F in 0:58.47*
Pharfignewton (F) (Adjust the Lens -- Birdie Num Num, Snuggle) 3F(T) in 0:36.70
Picatso (Automobile -- Green Whiskers, Sakura Bakushin O); 3F(T) in 0:36.65
Scent of Freesia (F) (Del Mar, Bandiagara, Bernardini); 5F in 0:58.85
*Particularly excited am I about Eminence Rouge. A daughter of Throne --whose stud fee was recently hiked from $100,000 to $150,000-- and out of a graded stakes-winning homebred, she could very well be the best horse I have bred since Phoenix Rise. I'm hesitant to write that off of just one work, but my broodmare band is sorely lacking and as a result I really only get a handful of decent horses with stakes potential. The dam, Grey Eminence, has not been bred yet this year though at the moment I am looking heavily at Indian (Chinese Bandit).
The other worker who caught my eye is Picatso, who is out of the Steward-bred Green Whiskers. The dam, though a $200,000 purchase as an unraced four-year-old, appears to have been money well-spent. She was a grade III winner (grade II-placed versus males) for me and has been quite fecund in the shed thus far with two winners from starters, including a debut winner this season by Stratocaster. By Sakura Bakushin O and out of a Green Dash mare she really has a fantastic outcross going to just about every turf sprinter stallion out there. I'd really like to see what she'd produce when bred to more uncommon sprint lines like superstar Silent Partner (Courageous Witness), Auto Brake (Testa Rossa), Irish Heights (Dalakhani) or Chernobyl (Fastnet Rock). My stallion Berlioz has had a very warm reception at stud largely due to his unusual breeding (as well as his race record), and getting a good colt by any of the above stallions out of a mare like Green Whiskers would be invaluable to my stallion roster.
On the racing end of things, it's been a dry year for the stable thus far. A very dry year. Only a handful of wins; about half of them from maiden specials. A lot of my stakes winners from last year just have seemed to not "trained on." Things could improve with the debut of some two-year-olds a few weeks down the road but already by week four it appears it will be a very long season.
Despite my best efforts to branch out from turf sprinters my best workers and runners seem to always fall into that subtype. Don't get me wrong; I will take a good horse of any kind, but it would be nice for a change of pace to have a nice productive dirt or turf router. Perhaps with the retirement of Phoenix Rise --whose oldest crop, now two-year-olds, includes some quick workers who are still waiting for the racing secretaries to card those juvenile mile races-- I can develop some good dirt horses. But I digress.
Top workers from this morning are:
Balalaika (F) (Chernobyl -- Dance Biscuit, Blaze The Green); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Riedell (Automobile -- Frost, Dubawi); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Eminence Rouge (F) (Throne -- Grey Eminence, Fighter Jet); 5F in 0:58.47*
Pharfignewton (F) (Adjust the Lens -- Birdie Num Num, Snuggle) 3F(T) in 0:36.70
Picatso (Automobile -- Green Whiskers, Sakura Bakushin O); 3F(T) in 0:36.65
Scent of Freesia (F) (Del Mar, Bandiagara, Bernardini); 5F in 0:58.85
*Particularly excited am I about Eminence Rouge. A daughter of Throne --whose stud fee was recently hiked from $100,000 to $150,000-- and out of a graded stakes-winning homebred, she could very well be the best horse I have bred since Phoenix Rise. I'm hesitant to write that off of just one work, but my broodmare band is sorely lacking and as a result I really only get a handful of decent horses with stakes potential. The dam, Grey Eminence, has not been bred yet this year though at the moment I am looking heavily at Indian (Chinese Bandit).
The other worker who caught my eye is Picatso, who is out of the Steward-bred Green Whiskers. The dam, though a $200,000 purchase as an unraced four-year-old, appears to have been money well-spent. She was a grade III winner (grade II-placed versus males) for me and has been quite fecund in the shed thus far with two winners from starters, including a debut winner this season by Stratocaster. By Sakura Bakushin O and out of a Green Dash mare she really has a fantastic outcross going to just about every turf sprinter stallion out there. I'd really like to see what she'd produce when bred to more uncommon sprint lines like superstar Silent Partner (Courageous Witness), Auto Brake (Testa Rossa), Irish Heights (Dalakhani) or Chernobyl (Fastnet Rock). My stallion Berlioz has had a very warm reception at stud largely due to his unusual breeding (as well as his race record), and getting a good colt by any of the above stallions out of a mare like Green Whiskers would be invaluable to my stallion roster.
On the racing end of things, it's been a dry year for the stable thus far. A very dry year. Only a handful of wins; about half of them from maiden specials. A lot of my stakes winners from last year just have seemed to not "trained on." Things could improve with the debut of some two-year-olds a few weeks down the road but already by week four it appears it will be a very long season.
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