Leading New York sires: Freud continues to dominate

No matter the year, the racing surface, or the competition that comes to his home state, Freud continues to hold sway in New York with no signs of slowing down.

The durable Storm Cat horse, who stands at Sequel Stallions, continues to thoroughly dominate his niche of the stallion market, leading New York’s general sire list with progeny earnings of $5,168,822 in 2016, the ninth straight time he has finished first or second on the list among those with state-sired runners.

Freud edged out two newcomers to the state, both at Dutchess Views Farm, who figure to have an impact on the list in years to come – Bellamy Road ($4,819,450) and Big Brown ($3,648,427). Neither has state-sired progeny on the track as of yet, with Bellamy Road’s first New York crop arriving now and Big Brown’s first state-sired crop running next year.

Freud, a full brother to Giant’s Causeway, also easily led New York’s turf sire rankings for the ninth straight year, with a bankroll of $2,079,103 to Big Brown’s $1,040,440.

Although Freud has dominated New York’s turf rankings, he has sired horses who have successfully competed against open company on dirt throughout his career, including Grade 1 winners Giant Ryan and Franny Freud. The latest to join that lineup is Sharp Azteca, who won last year’s Grade 3 Pat Day Mile and finished second in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes by a half-length to New York-bred Mind Your Biscuits, who has continued on to be a world-class sprinter.

Sharp Azteca earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 106 in the Malibu, which he matched in winning the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap by 4 1/2 lengths to start this season. He most recently finished third in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile in Dubai.

Leading Freud’s turf runners in 2016 was his all-time leading earner, Lubash, who has perfectly embodied the sire’s tendency to produce durable runners who compete creditably in the stakes ranks season after season. At age 9, Lubash won the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap to push his career earnings past $1.4 million; it was his third graded stakes win and his 12th stakes score overall. Lubash remains in training this year at age 10 and – along with Sharp Azteca – provides a chance for Freud to continue his dominance.