Just one-quarter of the way into 2022, there is plenty of road still to cover in the race for this year's leading sire title. But at this early stage, the path runs through Quality Road. By virtue of an international performer and several American classic contenders, Quality Road leads his Lane's End Farm stablemate Tonalist on the overall earnings list.
2022 Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Secret Oath
Giant's Causeway's final crop of three, remarkably, all are winners, including leading Kentucky Derby candidate Classic Causeway, who preps in Saturday's Florida Derby. But standing in the way of Giant's Causeway as he takes his final tilt at the title of American classic sire could be his own imposing son. Young sire Not This Time has four legitimate hopes for the Derby starting gate.
John Ed Anthony has been racing horses at Oaklawn Park for more than a half-century. In a season in which he has already scored a milestone victory and picked up multiple stakes scores, he looks to hit another high note this Saturday as Bubble Rock, a homebred for his Shortleaf Stable, looks to punch her Kentucky Oaks ticket in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes.
There are two Grade 1 prep races for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday: the Florida Derby and the Arkansas Derby. Classic Causeway is expected to start in Florida, but the colt has ties to the Arkansas-bred program close up in his pedigree.
Japanese horses enjoyed breakthough victories on the Breeders' Cup and the Saudi Cup cards, won five races (one in a dead heat) on the rich Dubai World Cup program Saturday night at Meydan. Four of the Dubai winners are from the direct male line of Sunday Silence.
The quality of the Thoroughbreds bearing the colors of the late breeder and owner Paul Pompa, Jr., was very much in evidence in the year following his death about 1 1/2 years ago, as his stock was highly in demand at his estate dispersal and his young stallion Connect got his career off to a solid start. As the calendar has moved into 2022, the legacy has continued to grow.
2022 Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Rattle N Roll
Shadwell Farm, in the process of a business review to streamline its global operations following the death of founder Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum last March, announced that it will sell two farms in Central Kentucky.
European Horse of the Year Giant's Causeway, multiple times a leading sire in North America, accomplished much during his stud career, siring champions on multiple continents. However, one accomplishment he has yet to check off is siring the winner of an American classic race.
