Nearly two decades ago, More Than Ready was among the first group of horses trainer Todd Pletcher started in the 2000 Kentucky Derby, finishing a creditable fourth. On Saturday, Pletcher’s former assistant Jonathan Thomas saddled Catholic Boy, a son of More Than Ready, to win the Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Time flies. In the ensuing years, More Than Ready has developed into one of the most consistent and versatile stallions in either hemisphere, as evidenced by Catholic Boy, now that rare Grade 1 winner on both dirt and turf after taking the Belmont Derby last month. “[Last year,] the Travers would have been the last thing on our mind,” said Thomas, who said that Pletcher was among those who sent him congratulatory messages on Saturday night. “We thought we had a nice two-turn grass horse, which was perfectly fine. We’ve had this horse since he was a weanling, and to see his development ... it’s like [having drafted] an NFL player out of elementary school.” Catholic Boy earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 104 for his four-length Travers victory, improving on the 99 he earned for the Belmont Derby. While Catholic Boy earned those figures on two different surfaces at a mile and a quarter, the versatile More Than Ready’s best progeny figure on the year belongs to a dirt sprinter – champion Roy H, who posted a 105 winning the Grade 2 Palos Verdes. According to Daily Racing Form’s Beyer Sire Performance figures, the stallion has five individuals with Beyers of 100 or higher this year. :: Get breeding & sales news, Beyer info, and more delivered right to your email! Roy H matched his career-high 111 while winning the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Sprint to lock up a divisional Eclipse Award. He was one of two Breeders’ Cup winners on the weekend for More Than Ready, whose daughter Rushing Fall won the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Remarkably, it was the second time on the stallion’s career he had two Breeders’ Cup winners on the same weekend, as he doubled with 2010 Juvenile Turf winner Pluck and Juvenile Fillies Turf winner More Than Real. In 2011, he struck with Turf Sprint winner Regally Ready. Another versatile runner for More Than Ready was Verrazano, a dual Grade 1 winner routing on dirt as a 3-year-old, taking the Wood Memorial and Haskell Invitational. He spent the latter part of his career on turf in Europe, where he was multiple Group 1-placed, including a runner-up effort in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. More Than Ready’s other standouts in the Northern Hemisphere have included Grade 1-winning juvenile Daredevil; Room Service, a Grade 1 winner on synthetic; multiple graded stakes-winning turf distaffers Hungry Island, Ready’s Gal, and Uni; and multiple graded stakes winner Tom’s Ready. More Than Ready is also an extremely successful shuttle stallion in Australia, siring champions Entisaar, More Joyous, Phelan Ready, Samaready, and Sebring. More Than Ready, a son of Southern Halo campaigned by Jim Scatuorchio, won the first five starts of his career. Four of those victories came in stakes, including the Grade 3 Tremont Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths and Grade 2 Sanford Stakes by 9 3/4 lengths. He was Grade 1 placed that fall. After winning the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes at seven furlongs to begin his 3-year-old campaign, he ran gamely at longer distances, finishing second in the Louisiana Derby, second by a head in the Blue Grass Stakes, and fourth in the Kentucky Derby. Cut back in distance that summer, he earned his Grade 1 victory in the King’s Bishop at Saratoga. Overall, he put together a career mark of 7-4-1 from 17 starts with six stakes wins and five graded placings, and earned over $1 million. More Than Ready entered stud in 2001 at Vinery’s Kentucky farm, then relocated to WinStar Farm beginning with the 2013 season after Vinery sold its U.S. operations. The stallion shuttles to Vinery Australia. Overall, he is the sire of 1,680 winners from 2,305 starters through Saturday – 73 percent winners from starters – for progeny earnings of $169,252,836 through Saturday. He is the sire of 195 stakes winners and 163 stakes-placed runners. More Than Ready, who sits ninth on the general sires list, is represented by 51 yearlings cataloged at the upcoming Keeneland September yearling sale. The group is led by a half-brother to Grade1/Group 1 winners Free Drop Billy and Hawkbill. Other entries include colts out of graded stakes winners and producers Brownie Points and Cellars Shiraz, as well as a filly out of Grade 2 winner All Star Heart.