Tapit broke his own single-season progeny earnings record in 2016, establishing a new mark for the third consecutive year by leading Kentucky's stallions with a bankroll of $19,896,996 – more than $7 million ahead of his closest pursuer, Curlin, with $12,772,052. Along the way, he surpassed a milestone in career earnings and notched a rare accomplishment in top-level company.
Win or lose, California Chrome will head to Taylor Made Farm following the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 with just over two weeks until Kentucky breeding sheds begin accepting mares. It will be up to the crew at Taylor Made to get California Chrome ready for his new job.
The string of announcements from Kentucky farms ushering stallions to a better fit in regional or international markets is a common sight in the months between breeding seasons. Less common is the stallion who gets a call-up to the North American breeding industry's major leagues and settles into a stall in the Bluegrass State after entering stud in another market.
In a year with several outstanding fillies and mares on the track, some of the most brilliant propelled their respective sires atop the rankings of Kentucky stallions by percentage of individual runners earning triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. Among stallions who will stand in Kentucky in 2017, Darley's Medaglia d'Oro was represented by 4.8 percent of his runners with Beyers of 100 or higher, edging Hill ‘n' Dale resident Curlin at 4.2 percent.
While traditional lists based on earnings can be slanted by one or two major stakes victories or casino-inflated purses on some circuits, DRF's standings are not impacted by those factors. The standings provide a measurement of a sire's ability to produce fast horses, not necessarily the most winners or highest earners.
Finnegans Wake won 8 of 37 starts and earned $1,594,665 in a six-season campaign from 2011 to 2016.
DRF Breeding Beyer Sire Performance Standings
The Maker's Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC), which operates from the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, placed 62 retired Thoroughbreds in new homes in 2016 – a facility record.
Olympic gold-medal-winning skier Bode Miller's interest in horse racing has been well documented, so it was no surprise to see his name among the buyers at the Keeneland January sale of horses of all ages. What did surprise was seeing Miller's name on the $25,000 ticket for Grade 1-placed stakes winner Red Vine – a stallion prospect.
A highly-accomplished group of first-crop stallions went to stud in 2016, counting among them victories in the Triple Crown, three editions of the Belmont Stakes, six Breeders' Cup races, and several international classics. The DRF Breeding staff is now reporting on first foals by notable stallions as they arrive.
