Freshman sires in spotlight this week at Churchill Downs

While 2019 Kentucky Derby week is in full swing at Churchill Downs, perhaps there’s already some thoughts of the 2020 Kentucky Derby, as an exceptionally strong class of freshman sires will be represented by some of their first 2-year-olds this week under the twin spires.

Champion Honor Code is expected to be represented by his first starter on Wednesday on a card that features several freshmen. One day later, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who is off to an encouraging start with his stud career, has a well-bred filly in a maiden race.

Honorable Memory, by Honor Code, will have Adam Beschizza aboard for trainer Mark Hubley as she debuts in Wednesday’s third race, a $100,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds going five furlongs. The filly, a homebred for KatieRich Farm, is out of the winning More Than Ready mare Embroidery, already the dam of Grade 2-winning sprinter Ready for Rye and Chilean stakes winner Encaje Antiguo. Embroidery is a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Furthest Land.

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Honor Code, from the final crop of the legendary A.P. Indy, now resides in a stall beside his pensioned sire at Lane’s End Farm. As a racehorse, he only missed the board once in 11 career starts while earning more than $2.5 million. He rallied to win the 2015 Metropolitan Handicap, considered a stallion-making race, over a salty field that included fellow Grade 1 winners Tonalist, Private Zone, Tamarkuz, Wicked Strong, and Bayern. He later added the Whitney in similar hard-charging fashion over Liam’s Map – who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – and finished third behind American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Honor Code, who covered 144 mares in his first season, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred, has had strong commercial results from his first crop. His yearling average across all sales last year finished at $220,782 from 62 sold, led by an $850,000 colt out of Grade 1 winner Hollywood Story. He is averaging $103,286 from his 2-year-old sales this season.

Facing Honorable Memory are three other entrants by Grade 1-winning freshman sires: Eloquent Lady, by Mr Speaker (standing at Lane’s End); Ms Headley, by The Big Beast (Ocala Stud); and Biddy Duke, by Bayern (Hill ‘n’ Dale). Biddy Duke is the only prior starter of those three, having finished second on debut April 17 at Keeneland for trainer John Ennis.

Later on Wednesday, a pair of freshmen will look to break through with their first stakes winners in the $125,000 Kentucky Juvenile. Secretly Wicked, by Wood Memorial winner Wicked Strong (Spendthrift), was a debut winner on a sloppy track at Keeneland. She would relish some moisture in the ground, and rain is in the forecast for Wednesday. Nayibeth, by multiple Grade 1 winner Carpe Diem (WinStar Farm), was a 4 1/2-length winner at Keeneland.

Kicking off Thursday’s card at Churchill Downs is another $100,000 maiden special weight. All eyes will be on American Pharoah’s daughter Lady Delaware. The filly, a $100,000 Keeneland September yearling, is trained by Wesley Ward, who is known for his prowess with young horses, and will have John Velazquez in the irons. Lady Delaware is out of the Hennessy mare More Hennessy, making her a half to Hootenanny, winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.

American Pharoah, by Pioneerof the Nile, is based at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud. He covered 208 mares in 2016, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred. Of those, 55 were Grade 1/Group 1 winners or the dams of winners at that level. Ten members of the crop were sold as weanlings, fetching an average of $445,500. American Pharoah went on to average $453,273 from 70 yearlings sold worldwide last year – a staggering figure for a first-crop stallion in a market that trends toward proven sires. To date, he is averaging $417,983 in the juvenile commercial arena.

American Pharoah’s first few runners have indicated that the high price tags are worth it. The stallion’s first runner, Monarch of Egypt, won on April 13 at Naas in Ireland, and he recorded his first North American winner six days later when Maven won on debut at Aqueduct. His only other starter to date is Tesorina, who was third on April 17 at Aqueduct. American Pharoah will have his fourth and fifth starters on Thursday in Lady Delaware and Sweet Melania, who is entered at Belmont Park.

Churchill’s opener on Thursday includes two other entrants by freshmen: Deviant, by Grade 1 winner Daredevil (WinStar) and Winyah Bay, by Grade 2 winner Summer Front (Airdrie Stud).