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.