Majestic Warrior: Leading sire by juvenile winners, freshman winners

Majestic Warrior got off to a flying start in 2012, and the best may be yet to come.

The 8-year-old A.P. Indy horse, who is based at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., led both the freshman and juvenile sire lists by winners in 2012, with 30, for seasonal earnings of $1,065,051. He handily outpaced Street Boss, who sired 20 winners, on the freshman sire list while edging out juvenile earnings leader Harlan’s Holiday, who sired 26 winners, on the juvenile list.

“He’s just waiting for that one superstar to break out, but with [that number of winners] I think it’s only a matter of time,” Ashford manager Dermot Ryan said. “And it’s showing in his book, the way he’s been booking up this year. Breeders are really chasing after him pretty hard. So that tells you something — that there’s a lot of good word going around out there.”

The breakout star for Majestic Warrior could be Princess of Sylmar, who, after finishing fourth in her debut in October, has proceeded to reel off four consecutive victories by a combined 38 3/4 lengths at Penn National and Aqueduct. The filly, who is out of the Catienus mare Storm Dixie, began her 3-year-old season with victories in the Busanda Stakes and Busher Stakes, both at Aqueduct, by 7 1/2 and seven lengths.

Princess of Sylmar, trained by Todd Pletcher for owner Ed Stanco’s King of Prussia Stable, is targeting the Grade 2 Gazelle Stakes on April 6 at Aqueduct as her next start.

From his first crop, Majestic Warrior is the sire of Seasoned Warrior, third in the Grade 2 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park; Drum Roll, third in the Grade 3 Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park; and stakes-placed Over the Counter and Sunshine Warrior.

Majestic Warrior, racing as a homebred for the Kinsman Farm of late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, won his first two career starts for trainer Bill Mott, including a 2 1/4-length, come-from-behind score in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The Coolmore team of Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, and Susan Magnier bought into the colt following that race.

However, Majestic Warrior failed to place in four starts as a 3-year-old in 2008, retiring to Ashford at the end of that season with a record of two wins in seven starts and $239,229 in earnings.

Majestic Warrior is a son of leading sire A.P. Indy, who counts Bernardini, Malibu Moon, Mineshaft, Congrats, and the late Pulpit among his most productive sons at stud. The line is known for producing later-developing runners who improve with age and distance. Majestic Warrior is one of only two colts by A.P. Indy to win a Grade 1 event as a juvenile, joining 2000 Champagne Stakes winner A P Valentine. With his victory in the Hopeful at seven furlongs, he is also one of only two sons of the stallion to win a Grade 1 event at less than a mile, along with Darley sire Girolamo.

“I’m hearing great feedback from the trainers, that they’ve got ones they think are going to be better 3-year-olds,” Ryan said. “A.P. Indy himself wasn’t a sire of a lot of 2-year-old winners; they were better when they got older. It’s a bonus what [Majestic Warrior has] done so far.”

Out of the Seeking the Gold mare Dream Supreme, a multiple Grade 1 winner and millionaire, Majestic Warrior is a full brother to stakes winner and producer Crystal Current; and a half-brother to stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Evolutionist. Dream Supreme, the only starter out of the Grade 1-winning Dixieland Band mare Spinning Round, is a half-sister to Sweet City Gal, dam of Kung Fu Mambo, a champion in Peru.

Majestic Warrior will stand for a fee of $12,500 in 2013, a boost from his 2012 fee of $10,000.
 

Leading Kentucky juvenile sires by 2012 number of winners

Leading Kentucky freshman sires by 2012 number of winners