Illinois stallions: Ghaaleb remains on top in 2022

Ghaaleb claimed his second consecutive Illinois sire title, and third overall, in 2022, outdistancing his closest competitor while doing so.

Ghaaleb, who stands at Wildwood Farm, amassed progeny earnings of $1,382,315 on the season. That more than doubled the bankroll of his closest competitor, McCrosky Farm’s Forest Attack with $538,564.

Ghaaleb, by Unbridled’s Song, won 2 of 4 career starts for Shadwell Stables, which had purchased him as a yearling. William Stiritz acquired the stallion prospect for $42,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November breeding stock sale and stands him at Wildwood for a private fee. The stallion was the leading freshman sire in Illinois in 2017 and has been among the top 10 general sires each year of his stud career, leading that list in 2019 and finishing second in 2020 before claiming the two most recent titles.

Ghaaleb had an outstanding strike rate, with 23 winners from 29 starters in 2022. Those were led by Illinois-bred gelding W W Cookie Monster, who won 4 of 5 outings, including the Lightning Jet Stakes at Hawthorne.

State numbers continue to shrink

The Illinois Thoroughbred industry, which suffered the loss of Arlington Park in recent years, has seen the number of mares bred in the state continue to decline, according to statistics from The Jockey Club.

There were 1,285 mares bred in Illinois in 2001, representing 2 percent of North American activity, according to the breed organization. That plummeted as the continent’s foal crop contracted in general, with 393 mares bred in 2011 for 1 percent of overall activity. In 2021, it was 100 mares, for 0.3 percent, and when the Report of Mares Bred was released last fall, it stood at 68, with additional reports still possible.

Meanwhile, the state’s number of stallions had dropped from 137 in 2001 to 24 in 2021 – the final year Arlington ran. According to the initial 2022 reports, 12 stallions covered mares in the state, topped by leading sire Ghaaleb with 24.

Online stallion season auction

Online bidding for the Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Foundation’s annual stallion season auction begins Jan. 29 and runs through Feb. 5.

A popular fresh face among Illinois stallions is represented among the seasons on offer in Croce d’Oro, who stands at M&N Stables. The Florida-bred compiled a hickory race record of 55-8-6-12 before retiring for the 2022 season. He covered 11 mares, making him the second-busiest stallion in the state behind leading sire Ghaaleb.