Exaggerator was part of a career year last year for young sire Curlin, as he ran with a maturity beyond his years to become a well-traveled multiple graded stakes winner. However, the best was yet to come, as the colt romped in the slop in the Santa Anita Derby to establish himself as a serious threat in the Kentucky Derby.
Sires of the 2016 Kentucky Derby: Tiznow
Lane’s End stallion Candy Ride has his bases well covered in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
Sires of the 2016 Kentucky Derby: Tapit
Bernardini won one of the most tragic runnings of the Preakness ever, but he has confirmed that triumph – and year-end champion 3-year-old male title – by becoming a top sire and source of high-quality runners who can get two turns, a number of which have been successful at the 10-furlong distance of the Kentucky Derby.
Sires of the 2016 Kentucky Derby: Street Cry
Fred and Jane Brei’s Jacks or Better Farm has already seen national success with foals by their homegrown sire Awesome of Course, led by Awesome Feather, the champion 2-year-old female of 2010 who won that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies under the Breis’ colors. The next frontier for Awesome of Course appears to be the Kentucky Derby, with Fellowship.
Two California-based freshman sires, Coil and Empire Way, were represented by their first winners recently.
Two freshman sires will have a chance to notch their first stakes winners when Churchill Downs revives the $100,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes on Thursday.
Two-time leading sire Tapit and first-crop phenom Uncle Mo hold the strongest hands of the five stallions looking to pull off a rare Kentucky Derby-Kentucky Oaks double this week.
