Success can be a moving target. On the sire list, Kitten’s Joy fell from first to third by total progeny earnings in 2014, a year removed from the season that made him a household name. By just about any other measure, it was the best season Kitten’s Joy has had as a sire.
Mr. Z appeared on his way to winning last month’s $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park until he drifted out sharply in the stretch and ended up third, as Far Right rolled up the rail to claim the first local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.
It was a competitive season for freshman sires, with a deep group battling it out in the division. In the end, Quality Road, himself a multiple Grade 1 winner, prevailed atop the earnings list, thanks to runners who excelled over a variety of surfaces and distances.
Since the modern Thoroughbred was crafted into existence some 300 years ago, numerous prominent sires have contributed their DNA as genetic building blocks. Ultimately, though, only a handful could be termed true game changers: Eclipse, Lexington, Hyperion, Nearco, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector – individuals of such profound influence, they altered the landscape of the sport itself. These days, few would argue against the late Storm Cat’s inclusion on that elite list of breed-shaping sires.
The ninth race is the lone allowance Sunday at Turfway. For non-winners of three at a mile, the race drew six runners, led by the unbeaten Ancient Bells, a winner of two starts, and The Tizzler, who finished second against comparable opposition Jan. 17.
Lookin At Lucky was a champion as a juvenile, and improved enough the following season to bring home a second title. If his progeny take after their sire, it could be an exciting year for the young stallion.
Dylan Davis, who enjoyed a successful apprenticeship while riding mostly in Kentucky and Indiana, is returning to Kentucky after riding this winter at Aqueduct, his new agent, Jimmy McNerney, said.
On Friday morning, the full Kentucky Senate voted 22-9 to pass a bill that would allow the state lottery to send bets into commingled pari-mutuel pools, according to supporters of the legislation.
Into Mischief is a young stallion with many years remaining in the breeding shed, but he is already putting himself in elite company. The 10-year-old Harlan’s Holiday horse, who stands at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., led all Kentucky stallions by average progeny earnings last year. Into Mischief’s runners won an average of $69,497, easily outpacing breed-shaping sire A.P. Indy – pensioned in 2011 – whose progeny averaged $56,371. Rounding out the top five by average earnings were Ghostzapper, leading sire Tapit, and Pioneerof the Nile, all of whom were represented by Eclipse Award winners in 2014.
Opportunities to race on synthetic surfaces have dried up quickly in North America, with Santa Anita, Del Mar, and Keeneland replacing their main tracks with dirt and Hollywood Park closing its doors in recent years. With no North American Grade 1 races scheduled on all-weather surfaces for 2015, Candy Ride likely will serve as the bookend among Kentucky’s leading sires during the era of elite-level synthetic-surface racing.
